Betula papyrifera

Paper birch or white birch is a member of the birch or Betulaceae family and is native to northern North America, being found in all provinces of Canada and in Alaska and in America states just south of the Great Lakes. It is known for its thin white bark that peels in strips; it can reach 20 m tall.

• Leaves are alternate, simple, oval, 5-10 cm long and ¼ less wide, with doubly serrate teeth, acute point. Petiole is about 2.5 cm long. Leaves turn bright yellow in the late fall.
• Species is monoecious; male catkins are brownish, up to 10 cm long. Female flowers are green catkins up to 4 cm long; they mature into cone-like fruit up to 3.5 cm long, fragmenting in the winter to drop the small, 2-winged seeds.
• Leaf buds are conical; stems are reddish brown.
• Bark is creamy white, peeling horizontally in strips. A traditional form of indigenous art was to imprint various intricate patterns onto the stripped back using one's teeth.