Hand-Branch Fatleaf

The hand-branch fatleaf evolved from the hand-branch fruitails that had spread to Huggs Taiga and replaced its ancestor in that biome. The biggest adaption to the cold environment of Huggs Taiga the hand-branch fatleaf went through was to evolve its leaves to start growing under the ground. This was so that their new huge size is supportable. The leaves are now as thick as they are wide, so they form tube-like chunks sticking up of the ground around the trunk of the hand-branch fatleaf. The sexual system of the hand-branch fatleaf is the same as its ancestor since it was very effective, however the the branch with the nuts is now much shorter and is placed on the top of the trunk, with the fruit-branches right under it. This is due to that being compact makes it easier for the plant to keep warm without losing too much energy. One final adaption makes the hand-branch fatleaf able to grow in the winter. The plant produce heat witch it releases through the leaves, melting the snow. The amount of heat it produce is based on how cold it is in the air, so in the summer it produce next to no heat at all, while in the winter it produce a lot of heat. This and because it makes it more compact is the reasons it has shrunken and now is 1.5 meters tall, since producing the heat takes a lot of energy.