Black Alder

Alnus glutinosa

Betulaceae (Birch Family)

▲▼Trees in landscape

▲Leaves

▲Bark

▲Inflorescences and immature cones

▲Mature black "cone" fruit

Location in Springfield, MO:  near entrance to Springfield Nature Center

Alnus glutinosa: Black Alder, Common Alder

·         leaves alternate, deciduous, simple, rounded to oval, with slightly serrate margins and rounded to somewhat indented leaf tip; medium to dark green and glossy above, with some hair tufts along veins underneath; 2-4 inches long and nearly equally wide

            o   there are some “cutleaf” cultivars available for this species with deeply, narrowly-lobed leaves

            o   fall color is not usually showy—sometimes golden yellow

·         stems greenish-brown to brown

·         bark is shiny gray-green to greenish brown on young trees, becoming all brown with age grows 40-70' tall with near equal spread in a pyramidal to oval habit

·         flowers are catkins, and fruit is a black, miniature pine cone-like fruit (strobile) on ½ to 1 inch stalks

·         grows 40-60 feet tall (often shorter in urban settings) with a oval to pyramidal growth habit

·         prefers full sun to part shade and moist, fertile, slightly acid soils, but can tolerate drier soils-- may shed some leaves early in dry summers

·         medium to fast growth rate

·         is a nitrogen-fixing plant