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
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