Red Alder (Alnus rubra): Bundle of 10

Description

Bundle of 10

At a Glance:  Red Alder is a medium sized deciduous tree, growing up to 80’ tall. Its thin grey bark is smooth, often with white patches of lichens, becoming scaly at the base with age. The wood and inner bark turn rusty-red when cut and is considered one of the best fuels for smoking salmon and other fish. It can be found in moist woods, streambanks, foodplains, slide tracks and recently cleared land, often in pure stands. Alder improves disturbed soils by fixing atmospheric nitrogen into the soil.

Leaves: Leaves are alternate, deciduous, broadly elliptic and sharp-pointed at the base and tip. They are dull green and smooth above, rust-colored and hairy below. The margins are wavy, slightly rolled under with coarse blunt teeth.

Flowers: Male and female flowers hang in catkins that appear before the leaves. Male catkins are 2-5“ long while female catkins smaller at ¾”.

Fruit: Clusters of small brown cones remain on the tree over the winter and contain oval winged nutlets.

Growing Conditions:

References:

MacKinnon, A., Pojar, J., & Alaback, P. B. (1994). Plants of the Pacific Northwest coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia & Alaska. Richmond, Wash: Lone Pine Publishing.