clairebraaten's Journal

The phylogeny of the Paper birch, also known as betula papyrifera, falls within the birch tree family of land plants. The classification of the tree is Kingdom: Plantae; Order: Fagales; Family: Betulaceae; Genus: Betula; Species: B. papyrifera.

All observed species in my group project had leaves. Leaves of different colours, shape, and texture, however each species had leaves on their branches. Leaves are important for trees because they serve as a means to collect light for photosynthesis as well as play a role in cooling, nutrient transport, and protection.

One unique adaptation of the Paper birch is the colour of its bark. The birch tree has light, papery bark in contrast to the other species in the group. This colouring is an important adaptation to rapid heating: the light bark reflects light and prevents the tree from overheating which can result in splitting of the bark.