Practical
Plants

Alnus maritima

Seaside Alder

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Alnus genus in the family Betulaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Alnus
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Height
9 m
Fertility
Wind
Flower type
monoecious
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

This species has the potential to be used as a biomass crop[3]. Wood - light, soft, close-grained. Light brown in colour with thick, hardly distinguishable heartwood[4].

Product or use
Biomass
Product or use
Wood

Environment

Range
Eastern and Central N. America - Delaware and Oklahoma.
Habitat
Banks of streams and ponds[4].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
high
Hardiness
Zone 7+
Soil textures
loamy, clay, heavy clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant
Salinity
tolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed -

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Prefers a heavy soil and a damp situation, but it succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1]. Grows well in heavy clay soils[1]. Tolerates very infertile sites[2]. Trees are tolerant of frost, poor soil, and some salinity and water-logging[3]. Seaside alder is reported to tolerate an annual precipitation in the range of 95 to 400cm, an average annual temperature of 13. 5 to 18°C, and a pH in the range of 6. 1 to 8. 1[3]. 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[2].

References

  1. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

  3. Duke. J. Handbook of Energy Crops - 1983-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  4. Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20278-X

    ↩1↩2

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