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Alnus viridis crispa

Common name:	American Green Alder	Family:	Betulaceae
Author:	(Aiton.)Turrill.	Botanical references:	11, 200, 270
Synonyms:	Betula crispa (Aiton.), Alnus crispa ((Aiton.)Pursh.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Eastern N. America - Labrador to Alaska and Newfoundland and southwards.
Habitat:	Rocky shores, slopes and mountains[43]. Singly or in thickets along streams, lakeshores, coasts, and bog or muskeg margins, or on sandy or gravelly slopes or flats, from sea level to 2000 metres[270].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	A. crispa var. elongata[B,P] A. crispa var. mollis[B,G,P] A. viridis ssp. crispa[B,P] A. viridis ssp. fruticosa[P] A. viridis subsp. crispa[G] A. viridis var. crispa[B,P] A. x hultenii[B,P] Duschekia viridis[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	American Green Alder [FEIS,P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	crispa = curly; viridis = green;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Fagales. Birch family

Physical Characteristics

A decidious shrub growing to 3m by 3m . It is hardy to zone 4. It is in flower from April to May. 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 2/5 for edibility and 2/5 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 moist or wet soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Bog Garden, Woodland, Secondary.

Edible Uses

Flowers.

Catkins - raw or cooked. A bitter taste[172].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Abortifacient; Appetizer; Astringent; Emetic; Emmenagogue; Haemostatic; Poultice; Skin; Stomachic; Tonic.

The bark is astringent, emetic, haemostatic, stomachic and tonic[172]. The bark was burnt as an inhalant in the treatment of rheumatism[257]. The ashes were also used as a tooth cleaner[257].
A decoction of the inner bark has been used as a carminative to reduce gas in the stomach and as a febrifuge[257].
A decoction of the plant has been used in a steam treatment to bring about menstruation - it has been used as an abortifacient[257].
A poultice of the leaves has been used to treat infected wounds or sores[257]. The poultice was left in place over the wound until the leaves stuck to it and was then pulled off, removing the 'poison' with it[257].
An infusion of the plant tops was given to children with poor appetites[257].

Other Uses

Dye; Teeth.

An orange-red to brown dye can be obtained from the bark[257].

Cultivation details

Prefers a heavy soil and a damp situation[1, 11]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. A useful plant for cold damp places[11]. Tolerates lime and very infertile sites[11, 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

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Alnus crispa (a possible synonym).

[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.

References for Alnus viridis ssp. crispa (a possible synonym).

[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.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.

References for Alnus viridis subsp. crispa (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

References for the family Betulaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[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.

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[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.

[172] Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.

[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.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

[270] Flora of N. America 0
An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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