Betula papyrifera very toxic to paper birch. It is frequently planted as an ornamental due to its graceful form and attractive bark. The bark changes to the white color at about 3 years of growth. Paper birch grows best in USDA zones 2-6, due to its intolerance of high temperatures. "Betula nigra", or river birch, is recommended for warm-climate areas warmer than zone 6 where paper birch is rarely successful. "B. papyrifera" is more resistant to the bronze birch borer than "Betula pendula" which is similarly planted as a landscape tree. Birch skeletonizer is a small larva which feeds on the leaves
Pterocarya fraxinifolia appear in April, the male catkins thick and green, 7.5 – 12.5 cm long, the females longer with less dense flowers, bearing red styles forming fruiting catkins 30 – 50 cm long, the green, winged, nuts approximately 1.8 cm wide. The species is fast growing and grows best on flat ground or shallow slopes near river banks and in deep moist soils. The climate associated with the distribution of this tree includes mild winters and mild humid summers. It generally grows in mixed stands with other species and rarely grows in pure stands. Fossils of "Pterocarya fraxinifolia" have been described