Both a sorted array and a binary tree can let you look up an element in log(N) time. However I would expect a sorted array to be faster in practice because of the constant factor.

Dwyer speculated that this pattern aided the trees in photosynthesis and tested his hypothesis by building a miniature tree-shaped solar array. The project won him a 2011 Young Naturalist Award ...

Now Aidan is studying other tree species and improving his PVC model to determine how it could be used to make more efficient solar arrays. He’s applied for a patent, too.