Betula utilis of the tree's native distribution, several forms have orange- or copper-colored bark. "Betula utilis" var. "jacquemontii", from the western end of the native habitat, is widely used because several cultivars have especially white bark. These include: Those cultivars marked have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. "B. utilis" 'Fascination' has an orange- to mahogany-colored bark, which peels off to reveal a polished-looking layer underneath. The bark of 'Wakehurst Place Chocolate', as the name implies, is dark brown to nearly black. Betula utilis Betula utilis (Himalayan birch, bhojpatra, "bhūrjá") is a birch tree native to the Himalayas, growing
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