Betula papyrifera the genus "Betula". Several varieties are recognized "Betula papyrifera" is mostly confined to Canada and the far northern United States. It is found in interior (var. "humilus") and south-central (var. "kenaica") Alaska and in all provinces and territories of Canada, except Nunavut, as well as the far northern continental United States. Isolated patches are found as far south as the Hudson Valley of New York and Pennsylvania, as well as Washington. High elevation stands are also in mountains to North Carolina, New Mexico, and Colorado. The most southerly stand in the Western United States is located in Long Canyon in
Betula lenta vertical cracks into irregular scaly plates revealing rough dark brown bark patterns. This, however, only occurs in mature, or ancient, trees and these specimens are not often identified by the public as "B. lenta" due to the difference between the tree's smooth young bark (which the public is most familiar with) and the tree's rough, cracked and plated mature bark. The twigs, when scraped, have a strong scent of wintergreen due to methyl salicylate, which is produced in the bark. The leaves are alternate, ovate, long and broad, with a finely serrated margin. The flowers are wind-pollinated catkins long, the