User:Katieeliz04/sandbox

Article Evaluations (1/27/2018)
The first thing I noticed was that there were no citations in the plant taxonomy article, while the flowering plant article had an abundance of citations from credible journals. I found it very distracting that the Taxonomy article included more external links to other pages than actual information. I feel as if this page lacked in helpful information and rather pushed the reader to go through countless other pages. The page on flowering plants included an abundance of information, and I feel as if this page was on the opposite end of the spectrum. It could have possibly used more internal and external links in order to minimize the information overload. I tried a few of the citations, and I found that all of the links I clicked on worked. The links sent me to a few academic journals that were included within a biological database. I saw some bias on the taxonomy article as it referred to plant taxonomy as "turbulent." In addition I felt as if it included opinionated statements such as saying that the three goals of plant taxonomy were "important" and "often overlooked." The talk pages for both pages are also very different. The taxonomy page is part of two organizations, but has very few edits and no discussion. The flowering plant article has a talk page full of edits and explanations throughout each section. It gives me the impression that the flowering plant article has seen more traffic and views in comparison to the article on plant taxonomy.

Article Proposal (2/5/2018)
River Birch "Betula nigra"

I want to add a section on taxonomy since the article does not elaborate on the species family or order. I would also like to maybe add/improve habitat characteristics. I think I can also slightly improve on the description portion of the article

Bibliography and Start of Draft (2/11/2018)
Preliminary list of resources:

-Wojtech, Michael. Bark: A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast. University Press of New England, 2011. (110-111).

-Murrell, Zack E. Vascular Plant Taxonomy. 6th Edition. Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, 2010.

-Flora of North America. Vol. 3. River Birch.

Description
Bark characteristics of the River Birch differ during it's youth stage, maturation, and old growth. The bark of a young river birch can vary from having a salmon-pink to brown-gray tint and can be described as having loose layers of curling, paper thin scales. As the tree matures, the salmon-pink color is exchanged for a reddish-brown with a dark grey base color. The scales on a mature tree lack the loose curling and are closely pressed into thick, irregular plates. These scales are slightly separated from the trunk and can shift outward to the side. Once the River Birch ages past maturity, the scales become thicker towards the base of the trunk and are divided in deep furrows.

Identification of material needed in "Betula nigra" article (2/16/2018)
I have already started drafting my additions to the description section of the article (see above). I plan to also add a taxonomy section and improve the habitat characteristics and species range informati

Description
Betula nigra is a deciduous tree growing to 25-30 m with a trunk 50 to 150 cm in diameter. The base of the tree is often divided into multiple slender trunks. Bark characteristics of the River Birch differ during it's youth stage, maturation, and old growth. The bark of a young river birch can vary from having a salmon-pink to brown-gray tint and can be described as having loose layers of curling, paper thin scales. As the tree matures, the salmon-pink color is exchanged for a reddish-brown with a dark grey base color. The scales on a mature tree lack the loose curling and are closely pressed into thick, irregular plates. These scales are slightly separated from the trunk and can shift outward to the side. Once the River Birch ages past maturity, the scales become thicker towards the base of the trunk and are divided in deep furrows. The twigs are glabrous or thinly hairy. There is an absence of terminal buds, and lateral buds often have a hook at the tip of the bud, which differs from other species in the family Betulaceae. The leaves are alternate, ovate, 4-8 cm long and 3-6 cm broad, with a serrated margin and five to twelve pairs of veins. The flowers are wind-pollinated catkins 3-6 cm long, the male catkins pendulous, the female catkins erect. The fruit is unusual among birches in maturing in late spring; it is composed of numerous tiny winged seeds packed between the catkin bracts.

Taxonomy
A tree that falls into the family of Betulaceae, which is commonly known as the Birch or Alder Family. This family comprises of six (6) genera (Alnus, Betula, Carpinus, Corylus, Ostrya, and Ostryopsis) and includes alders, birches, hornbeams, and hazelnut. Species within this family, along with Betula nigra, are shrubs or trees that grow along stream sides or in poorly drained soils throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Betualceae is included within the order Fagales, which branches from the Rosid clade.

Habitat and Range
The River Birch is often found in low-elevation regions from as north as Massachusetts to as south as northern Florida. It can be found extending west to Kansas and east to the coast where proper habitat conditions occur. As it's name depicts, this birch is found along stream-sides. It can also be a prominent species found in forested wetland communities and in areas containing moist soil, such as floodplains.

Cultivation and uses
While its native habitat is wet ground, it will grow on higher land, and its bark is quite distinctive, making it a favored ornamental tree for landscape use. A number of cultivars with much whiter bark than the normal wild type have been selected for garden planting, including 'Heritage' and 'Dura Heat'; these are notable as the only white-barked birches resistant to the bronze birch borer Agrilus anxius in warm areas of the southeastern United States of America.

Native Americans used the boiled sap as a sweetener similar to maple syrup, and the inner bark as a survival food. It is usually too contorted and knotty to be of value as a timber tree. The fruit produced by this species can be a fair food source for some animals, such as native songbirds and mice. Deer have been known to browse on saplings or reachable branches.