Betulaceae (Noun)
Meaning
Monoecious trees and shrubs (including the genera Betula and Alnus and Carpinus and Corylus and Ostrya and Ostryopsis).
Classification
Nouns denoting plants.
Examples
- Betulaceae, commonly known as the birch family, is composed of six living genera, mostly confined to the Northern Hemisphere in non-tropical regions.
- Some researchers also recognize Ostryopsis as part of Betulaceae rather than its own family due to recent DNA studies that closely relate it to the Carpinus genus within Betulaceae.
- Members of the Betulaceae family often grow as deciduous trees or shrubs in forested areas of cooler climates worldwide.
- Alnus species within the Betulaceae family often exhibit a mutualistic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, making them ecologically important species in riparian ecosystems.
- Fossil records of the Betulaceae family show a much wider distribution across ancient supercontinents such as Laurasia during the Paleocene epoch.