Alnus incana

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Alnus incana
Alnus incana rugosa leaves.jpg
Leaves of speckled alder
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Betulaceae
Genus: Alnus
Subgenus: Alnus subg. Alnus
Species:
A. incana
Binomial name
Alnus incana
Alnus incana range.svg
Range map

Alnus incana, the grey alder, tag alder or speckled alder, is a species of multi-stemmed, shrubby tree in the birch family, with a wide range across the cooler parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Tolerant of wetter soils, it can slowly spread with runners and is a common sight in swamps and wetlands.

Contents

Description

Alnus incana var. tenuifolia male flowers in early spring along the Columbia River Alnus incana var. tenuifolia 4.jpg
Alnus incana var. tenuifolia male flowers in early spring along the Columbia River

It is a small- to medium-sized tree 15–20 metres (49–66 ft) tall with smooth grey bark even in old age, its life span being a maximum of 60 to 100 years. The leaves are matte green, ovoid, 5–11 centimetres (2–4+14 in) long and 4–8 cm (1+123+14 in) broad. The flowers are catkins, appearing early in spring before the leaves emerge, the male catkins pendulous and 5–10 cm (2–4 in) long, the female catkins 1.5 cm (58 in) long and one cm broad when mature in late autumn. The seeds are small, 1–2 millimetres (132332 in) long, and light brown with a narrow encircling wing. The grey alder has a shallow root system, and is marked not only by vigorous production of stump suckers, but also by root suckers, especially in the northern parts of its range. The wood resembles that of the black alder (Alnus glutinosa), but is somewhat paler and of little economic value.

Subspecies

There are four to six subspecies, some treated as separate species by some authors:

Ecology

Alnus incana is a light-demanding, fast-growing tree that grows well on poorer soils. In central Europe, it is a colonist of alluvial land alongside mountain brooks and streams, occurring at elevations up to 1,500 metres (4,900 ft). However, it does not require moist soil, and will also colonize screes and shallow stony slopes. In the northern part of its range, it is a common tree species at sea level in forests, abandoned fields and on lakeshores. Several species of Lepidoptera use grey alder as a food plant for their caterpillars. In the boreal forest area of Canada, A. incana is often associated with black spruce in the forest type termed black sprucespeckled alder. [7] The larvae of the alder woolly sawfly sometimes cause considerable defoliation to the grey alder. [8]

A. rugosa provides cover for wildlife, is browsed by deer and moose, and the seeds are eaten by birds. [9]

Chemistry

Pedunculagin is an ellagitannin found in the Manchurian alder (A. hirsuta var. microphylla). [10]

Uses

The tree is cultivated in parks and gardens. The cultivar 'Aurea', with green-gold leaves, has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [11]

It is sometimes used in afforestation and agroforestry in non-fertile or wet soils which it enriches by means of nitrogen fixing bacteria in its root nodules. [12]

Alder is an excellent tree for coppicing [13] and pollarding. Its cut branches may be fed to browsing livestock such as cows and goats, then used for kindling, firewood, or light construction - while root systems fertilize adjacent agricultural plots via nitrogen fixation. [12]

The Zuni people use the bark of the tenuifolia subspecies to dye deerskin reddish brown. [14]

The Ho-Chunk people eat the bark of the rugosa subspecies when their stomachs are "sour" or upset. [15]

Its wood and bark are used in smoking meat, [16] particularly fish [17] and duck. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alder</span> Genus of flowering plants in the birch family Betulaceae

Alders are trees that compose the genus Alnus in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus includes about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few species extending into Central America, as well as the northern and southern Andes.

<i>Alnus glutinosa</i> Species of flowering plant in the birch family Betulaceae

Alnus glutinosa, the common alder, black alder, European alder, European black alder, or just alder, is a species of tree in the family Betulaceae, native to most of Europe, southwest Asia and northern Africa. It thrives in wet locations where its association with the bacterium Frankia alni enables it to grow in poor quality soils. It is a medium-sized, short-lived tree growing to a height of up to 30 metres (98 feet). It has short-stalked rounded leaves and separate male and female flowers in the form of catkins. The small, rounded fruits are cone-like and the seeds are dispersed by wind and water.

<i>Alnus rubra</i> Species of tree

Alnus rubra, the red alder, is a deciduous broadleaf tree native to western North America.

<i>Larix laricina</i> Species of larch native to North America

Larix laricina, commonly known as the tamarack, hackmatack, eastern larch, black larch, red larch, or American larch, is a species of larch native to Canada, from eastern Yukon and Inuvik, Northwest Territories east to Newfoundland, and also south into the upper northeastern United States from Minnesota to Cranesville Swamp, West Virginia; there is also an isolated population in central Alaska.

<i>Alnus jorullensis</i> Species of tree

Alnus jorullensis, commonly known as Mexican alder, is an evergreen or semi-evergreen alder, native to eastern and southern Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. Although previously reported from the Andes, further collections showed these to be the similar species A. acuminata, commonly found in South America.

<i>Alnus cordata</i> Species of plant

Alnus cordata, the Italian alder, is a tree or shrub species belonging to the family Betulaceae, and native to the southern Apennine Mountains and the north-eastern mountains of Corsica. It has been introduced in Sicily, Sardinia, and more recently in Central-Northern Italy, other European countries and extra-European countries, where it has become naturalised.

<i>Alnus nepalensis</i> Species of plant

Alnus nepalensis is a large alder tree found in the subtropical highlands of the Himalayas. The tree is called Utis in Nepali and Nepalese alder in English. It is used in land reclamation, as firewood and for making charcoal.

Mountain alder is a common name for two different alders:

<i>Alnus oblongifolia</i> Species of tree

Alnus oblongifolia is a large alder growing up to 72 feet (22 m), from the southwestern United States and northern Sonora, Mexico. It grows across Arizona into western New Mexico mountain ranges. In central Arizona its range extends across the transition zone to the White Mountains region of eastern Arizona–western New Mexico border.

<i>Alnus rhombifolia</i> Species of tree

Alnus rhombifolia, the white alder, is an alder tree native to western North America, from British Columbia and Washington east to western Montana, southeast to the Sierra Nevada, and south through the Peninsular Ranges and Colorado Desert oases in Southern California. It occurs in riparian zone habitats at an altitudes range of 100–2,400 metres (330–7,870 ft). While not reported in northern Baja California, it has been predicted on the basis of its climatic adaptation to occur there also. Alnus rhombifolia is primarily found in the chaparral and woodlands, montane, and temperate forests ecoregions.

<i>Alnus acuminata</i> Species of tree

Alnus acuminata is a species of deciduous tree in the Betulaceae family. It is found in montane forests from central Mexico to Argentina.

<i>Frangula alnus</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae

Frangula alnus, commonly known as alder buckthorn, glossy buckthorn, or breaking buckthorn, is a tall deciduous shrub in the family Rhamnaceae. Unlike other "buckthorns", alder buckthorn does not have thorns. It is native to Europe, northernmost Africa, and western Asia, from Ireland and Great Britain north to the 68th parallel in Scandinavia, east to central Siberia and Xinjiang in western China, and south to northern Morocco, Turkey, and the Alborz in Iran and the Caucasus Mountains; in the northwest of its range, it is rare and scattered. It is also introduced and naturalised in eastern North America.

<i>Frankia alni</i> Species of bacterium

Frankia alni is a Gram-positive species of actinomycete filamentous bacterium that lives in symbiosis with actinorhizal plants in the genus Alnus. It is a nitrogen-fixing bacterium and forms nodules on the roots of alder trees.

<i>Alnus serrulata</i> Species of tree

Alnus serrulata, the hazel alder or smooth alder, is a thicket-forming shrub in the family Betulaceae. It is native to eastern North America and can be found from western Nova Scotia and southern New Brunswick south to Florida and Texas.

<i>Salix arbusculoides</i> Species of flowering plant

Salix arbusculoides is a species of flowering plant in the willow family known by the common name little tree willow. It is native to northern North America, where its distribution extends across Alaska and most of Canada.

<i>Alnus alnobetula</i> Species of tree

Alnus alnobetula is a common tree widespread across much of Europe, Asia, and North America. Many sources refer to it as Alnus viridis, the green alder, but botanically this is considered an illegitimate name synonymous with Alnus alnobetula subsp. fruticosa.

Cryptosporella suffusa is a species of fungus that causes canker in alder trees.

<i>Alnus nitida</i> Species of plant in the genus Alnus

Alnus nitida, the west Himalayan alder, is a species in the genus Alnus, native to Pakistan, the western Himalayas, and Nepal. It is a tree reaching 20 to 25 m, preferring to live along the banks of rivers. It is used locally for timber and firewood, and as a street tree. The bark is used in some places for tanning and dyeing purposes. It grows well in heavy, clay soils and tolerates infertile soils. The leaves are thin, oval to ovate, 3-6 inches long and 2-3 inches wide. Female flowers appear first, followed by male catkinss in September to October, which may be up to 19 cm long. The fruits are woody cones, typically 2.5-3.5 cm long.

<i>Eriophyes laevis</i> Species of mite

Eriophyes laevis is a gall mite which makes small, pimple-like galls on the leaves of alder. The mite was first described by the Austrian zoologist, Alfred Nalepa in 1889 and is found in Europe and North America.

References

  1. Shaw, K.; Roy, S. & Wilson, B. (2014). "Alnus incana". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 208. IUCN. e.T63517A3125479. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T63517A3125479.en .
  2. Flora of North America 2009.
  3. Jepson Flora Project (ed.). "Alnus incana subsp. tenuifolia". Jepson eFlora. The Jepson Herbarium, University of California, Berkeley . Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  4. "Alnus incana ssp. tenuifolia". Calflora. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  5. "Alnus incana". Plants for a Future . Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  6. Patterson, Patricia A. (1985). Field Guide to the Forest Plants of Northern Idaho (PDF). United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. p. 34. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-04-12.
  7. Hogan 2008.
  8. Forest Health Conditions in Alaska—2003. DIANE Publishing. p. 59. ISBN   978-1-4289-6595-9.
  9. Little, Elbert L. (1980). The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region. New York: Knopf. p. 363. ISBN   0-394-50760-6.
  10. Lee, O.; Choi, M.; Ha, S.; Lee, G.; Kim, J.; Park, G.; Lee, M.; Choi, Y.; Kim, M.; Oh, C. H. (2010). "Effect of pedunculagin investigated by non-invasive evaluation on atopic-like dermatitis in NC/Nga mice". Skin Research and Technology. 16 (3): 371–377. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0846.2010.00443.x. PMID   20637007. S2CID   25752299.
  11. "RHS Plantfinder - Alnus incana 'Aurea'". Royal Horticultural Society. 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  12. 1 2 Nikodemus, Oļģerts; Kaupe, Dārta; Kukuļs, Imants; Brūmelis, Guntis; Kasparinskis, Raimonds; Dauškane, Iluta; Treimane, Agita (19 June 2020). "Effects of afforestation of agricultural land with grey alder (Alnus incana (L.) Moench) on soil chemical properties, comparing two contrasting soil groups". Forest Ecosystems. 7 (1): 38. doi: 10.1186/s40663-020-00253-0 . ISSN   2197-5620.
  13. "The Best Species for Coppice Forestry". 15 September 2017.
  14. Stevenson, Matilda Coxe (1915). "Ethnobotany of the Zuni Indians". SI-BAE Annual Report. 30: 80.
  15. Kindscher, Kelly (1998). "Huron Smith's Ethnobotany of the Hocąk (Winnebago)". Economic Botany. 52 (4): 361. doi:10.1007/BF02862065. S2CID   20652394.
  16. "Alder Flavor Profile: The Most Delicate, Earthy Wood Smoke".
  17. "Smoking wood chart | Ultimate guide to the wood you should use". July 2022.
  18. "Best Wood for Smoking Duck: Tips & recipes - Lakesidesmokers". 28 April 2020.

Further reading