grey alder

Alnus incana

The grey alder is a tall tree with smooth, grey bark and lovely green leaves. It grows near water and helps keep the soil healthy. This tree is great for animals and birds looking for a home!

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The grey alder is a slender, fast-growing tree with smooth, greyish bark that darkens with age. Its oval leaves are finely toothed and dull green. In late winter, it features long, pendulous male catkins and small, cone-like female catkins.

KingdomPlantaePhylumTracheophytaClassMagnoliopsidaOrderFagalesFamilyBetulaceaeGenusAlnus

grey alder

Interesting facts

Even its tiny, cone-like fruits stay on the branches through winter like ornaments!

Grey alders can grow where few other trees can, like next to cold mountain streams!

Its smooth, pale wood is so light, people once used it for wooden clogs!

People used to make a reddish-brown dye for cloth from its bark!

Special abilities

Grey alder can enrich poor soil because its roots partner with tiny bacteria to make nitrogen fertilizer!

Grey alder can be a forest 'first responder,' growing quickly in disturbed areas like riverbanks or clearings!

Grey alder has special roots that allow it to thrive even in very wet or waterlogged soils!

Measurements & details

Height: 1000-2000 cm
Spread: 500-1000 cm
Flower Size: 1-10 cm
Bloom Season: Late_winter-early_spring
Edible: No
Toxicity: None
Lifecycle: Perennial
Pollination Method: Wind

Ecological connections

eats

Moose

Alces alces

browses its twigs and leaves

eats

White-tailed deer

Odocoileus virginianus

forages on its new shoots

eats

Snowshoe hare

Lepus americanus

nibbles on its bark and twigs

eats

Common redpoll

Acanthis flammea

feeds on its seeds and buds

Traits

Deciduous

Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons.

Flowering

Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.

Nitrogen Fixing

Describes organisms capable of converting atmospheric nitrogen into compounds usable by plants.

Broadleaf Tree

Broadleaf trees are angiosperms characterized by flat, wide leaves that are typically shed annually in temperate climates.

Pollinator Magnet

Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.

Rapid Growing

Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period.

Timber

Timber refers to wood that has been prepared for use in building and carpentry.

Longevous

This trait characterizes organisms with an exceptionally long lifespan compared to others of their kind.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.