Practical
Plants

Alnus tenuifolia

Mountain Alder

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

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

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

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

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

The freshly harvested inner bark is emetic but is alright once it has been dried[3].

Edible uses

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

Catkins - raw or cooked. A bitter taste[3].

Plant part
Flowers

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

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

The bark is astringent, emetic, haemostatic, stomachic and tonic[3]. The bark also contains salicin[6], which probably decomposes into salicylic acid (closely related to aspirin) in the human body[5]. This is used as an anodyne and febrifuge[6]. The outer bark is astringent and is applied as a poultice to bleeding wounds, it also reduces swellings[6].

Product or use
Anodyne
Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Emetic
Product or use
Febrifuge
Product or use
Haemostatic
Product or use
Stomachic
Product or use
Tonic

Material uses

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

This is an excellent pioneer species for re-establishing woodlands on disused farmland, difficult sites etc[6]. 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 tree has an extensive root system and can be planted to control banks from erosion[6]. The bark and the strobils are a source of tannin[11]. A dark dye is obtained from the bark[6]. The colour can range from orange through red to brown[8]. Wood - soft, straight-grained, very durable in water[11]. It is of no commercial value, though it is used locally as a fuel[7].

Product or use
Tannin
Product or use
Wood

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Canopy, Secondary canopy

Pioneer

Earth stabiliser

Nitrogen fixer

Environment

Range
Western N. America - Alaska to California and New Mexico.
Habitat
Moist soils by swamps, streams, ponds and lakes in foothills to well up in the mountains[9][7].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
high
Hardiness
Zone 2+
Soil textures
loamy, clay, heavy clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

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

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe and only just covered[4]. 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[10]. 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.

Cultivation

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

Prefers a heavy soil and a damp situation[1][2]. Grows well in heavy clay soils[2]. Tolerates very infertile sites[4]. A fast-growing but short-lived tree[7]. There is some confusion over the correct name of this tree with one authority citing the European species A. incana as the correct name[9]. Another report says that this species is closely related to A. incana, but distinct[7]. Some modern works treat it as a subspecies (Alnus incana tenuifolia). 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[4].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

  3. Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  5. Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-449-90589-6

    ↩

  6. Lauriault. J. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Ontario. 1989-00-00 ISBN 0889025649

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  7. Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980-00-00 ISBN 0442238622

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  8. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩

  9. Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  10. Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00

    ↩

  11. 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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