Alnus incana
Alnus incana | |
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Leaves of speckled alder | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Fagales |
Family: | Betulaceae |
Genus: | Alnus |
Subgenus: | Alnus subg. Alnus
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Species: | A. incana
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Binomial name | |
Alnus incana | |
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. It is easily distinguished by its small cones, speckled bark and broad leaves.[citation needed]
Description
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
Subspecies
There are four to six subspecies, some treated as separate species by some authors:
- Alnus incana subsp. incana; grey alder – Northern Europe and northwestern Asia, and central and southern Europe in mountains, mainly in the regions of the Alps, Carpathians and the Caucasus
- Alnus incana subsp. hirsuta (Spach) Á. & D.Löve (=A. hirsuta Spach); Manchurian alder – In mountains of Northeast Asia and Central Asia
- Alnus incana subsp. kolaensis (N.I.Orlova) Á. & D.Löve. – Subarctic northeast Europe
- Alnus incana subsp. oblongifolia (=Alnus oblongifolia); Arizona alder – Madrean Sky Islands of southwestern North America, in Arizona, New Mexico, and Northwestern Mexico
- Alnus incana subsp. rugosa (Du Roi) R.T.Clausen (=A. rugosa Du Roi); speckled alder – Much of Canada below the tree line, and the Northeastern United States
- Alnus incana subsp. tenuifolia (Nutt.) Breitung (=A. tenuifolia Nutt.); mountain alder, or thinleaf alder – Western North America, including nitrogen-fixing nodules.[6]
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A. incana subsp. incana range
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A. incana subsp. rugosa range
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A. incana subsp. tenuifolia range
Ecology
Alnus incana is a light-demanding, fast-growing tree that grows well on poorer soils. In central Europe, it is a colonist of
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.
Alder is an excellent tree for coppicing[12] 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.[citation needed]
The Zuni people use the bark of the tenuifolia subspecies to dye deerskin reddish brown.[13]
The
Its wood and bark are used in smoking meat,[15] particularly fish[16] and duck.[17]
References
- .
- ^ Flora of North America 2009.
- ^ Jepson Flora Project (ed.). "Alnus incana subsp. tenuifolia". Jepson eFlora. The Jepson Herbarium, University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
- ^ "Alnus incana ssp. tenuifolia". Calflora. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
- ^ "Alnus incana". Plants for a Future. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Hogan 2008.
- ISBN 978-1-4289-6595-9.
- ISBN 0-394-50760-6.
- S2CID 25752299.
- ^ "RHS Plantfinder - Alnus incana 'Aurea'". Royal Horticultural Society. 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
- ^ "The Best Species for Coppice Forestry". 15 September 2017.
- ^ Stevenson, Matilda Coxe (1915). "Ethnobotany of the Zuni Indians". SI-BAE Annual Report. 30: 80.
- S2CID 20652394.
- ^ "Alder Flavor Profile: The Most Delicate, Earthy Wood Smoke".
- ^ "Smoking wood chart | Ultimate guide to the wood you should use". July 2022.
- ^ "Best Wood for Smoking Duck: Tips & recipes - Lakesidesmokers". 28 April 2020.
Further reading
- "Alnus incana". Flora Europaea. Edinburgh: Royal Botanical Garden. 2008.
- Furlow, John J. (2009). "Alnus incana". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 3. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
- Hogan, C. Michael (2008). Stromberg, N. (ed.). "Black Spruce: Picea mariana". GlobalTwitcher.com. Archived from the original on 2011-10-05.
- "Alnus incana - information, genetic conservation units and related resources". European Forest Genetic Resources Programme (EUFORGEN).