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Alnus incana
| Common name: |
Grey Alder |
Family: |
Betulaceae |
| Author: |
(L.)Moench. |
Botanical references: |
11, 50, 200 |
| Synonyms: |
Betula alnus incana (L.) |
| Known Hazards: |
None known |
| Range: |
Europe. Introduced in Britain[17]. |
| Habitat: |
Mountains, especially on poor soil[17, 50]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
0 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 0 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| A. incana f. aurea[G]
A. incana f. pinnata[G]
A. incana subsp. incana[G]
A. incana var. pendula[G]
Betula alnus var. incana[G]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Grey Alder [L], Hoary Alder [L], Mountain Alder [S,P], Speckled Alder [B], White Alder [E], Witte Els [D], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
cana = grayed due to hairs
incana = gray
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA Plants Database |
|
Order: Fagales. Birch family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Europe
|
Physical Characteristics
A decidious tree growing to 18m by 5m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 2. It is in flower from February to March. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Wind.
It can fix Nitrogen.
We rate it 0/5 for edibility and
0/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay and nutritionally poor soils.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.
It requires dry moist or wet soil.
The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Bog Garden, Woodland, Canopy.Edible Uses
None known
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
None known
Other Uses
Pioneer
Soil reclamation Tannin Wood.
This species fixes atmospheric nitrogen and is also tolerant of
polluted soils, it can be used for land reclamation, especially on coal
tips[200].
This is an excellent pioneer species for re-establishing woodlands on
disused farmland, difficult sites etc. Its fast rate of growth means that it
quickly provides sheltered conditions to allow more permanent woodland trees
to become established. In addition, bacteria on the roots fix atmospheric
nitrogen - whilst this enables the tree to grow well in quite poor soils it
also makes some of this nitrogen available to other plants growing nearby.
Alder trees also have a heavy leaf canopy and when the leaves fall in the
autumn they help to build up the humus content of the soil. Alder seedlings
do not compete well in shady woodland conditions and so this species
gradually dies out as the other trees become established[K].
The bark and the fruits contain up to 20% tannin[46, 61, 223].
Wood - light, soft, fairly elastic, easy to split. Used for clogs, bowls,
woodcuts etc. Much valued by cabinet makers[46, 61].
Cultivation details
Prefers a heavy soil and a damp situation[1, 11]. Grows well in heavy
clay soils[11]. Thrives in drier soils than many other members of this
genus[200]. Tolerates very infertile sites[200].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil micro-organisms,
these form nodules on the roots of the plants and fix atmospheric nitrogen.
Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be
used by other plants growing nearby[200].
Propagation
Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe and only just
covered[200]. Spring sown seed should also germinate successfully so long as
it is not covered[200, K]. The seed should germinate in the spring as the
weather warms up. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into
individual pots. If growth is sufficient, it is possible to plant them out
into their permanent positions in the summer, otherwise keep them in pots
outdoors and plant them out in the spring.
If you have sufficient quantity of seed, it can be sown thinly in an outdoor
seed bed in the spring[78]. The seedlings can either be planted out into
their permanent positions in the autumn/winter, or they can be allowed to
grow on in the seed bed for a further season before planting them.
Cuttings of mature wood, taken as soon as the leaves fall in autumn,
outdoors in sandy soil.
Suppliers
Plants For A Future is working with the following groups to try and make these plants easily available. Parts of the proceeds will be donated to so please mention us when ordering.
- Cool Temperate Nurseries
-
10 Ivy Grove
Nottingham
NG7 7LZ
Email: philcorbett53@hotmail.com
Phone 0115 847 8302
Fax 0115 847 8302
Distribution: UK
How to order: Direct from Cool Temperate by email/phone
Notes: Many Trees supplied on their own rootstock
Last Updated: April 03
Item:
Alnus incana
(Grey Alder)
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [L] Scientific and Common Names (some photos)
from Lepidoptera and some other life forms
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [S] Image
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for Alnus incana subsp. incana (a possible synonym).
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
References for alnus incana (a possible synonym).
References for the family Betulaceae.
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.
[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[223] Rottsieper. E.H.W. Vegetable Tannins The Forestal Land, Timber and Railways Co. Ltd. 1946
A fairly detailed treatise on the major sources of vegetable tannins.
Readers Comments
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Plant information taken from the
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Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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