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Siberian Alder – Alnus hirsuta var. sibirica Height: to 60 feet / USDA zones 5-9 Family Betulaceae – Alder, Birch, Hornbeam Tree Encyclopedia | Tree Index |
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Trees to 20 m tall; bark gray-brown, smooth. Branchlets dark gray, angular, densely gray pubescent when young, glabrescent. Buds stipitate, with 2 scales, sparsely pubescent. Petiole 1.5-5.5 cm, densely pubescent; leaf blade suborbicular, rarely broadly ovate, 4-9 × 2.5-9 cm. All of the alders associate symbiotically with species of the actinomycete Frankia , leading to the formation of nodules on the roots of the plants and the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen. Speckled alder provides winter cover for snowshoe hare. Moose, muskrats, beavers, cottontail rabbits, and snow-shoe hares feed on the twigs and foliage. Low preference white-tailed deer browse, avoided by moose in the Lake Superior region. Thickets provide hiding cover to moose and white-tailed deer. Beavers build dams and lodges with speckled alder. Songbirds, including American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, and Redpoll feed on the seeds. Woodcock and grouse eat the buds and catkins. Thickets provide drumming sites for woodcock and grouse [2]. |
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| Native to temperate forests, along streambanks; 700-1500 m. Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Shandong, Japan, Korea, Russia (Siberia). |
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The wood is hard and dense, and is used for making agricultural tools and furniture. [2] |
| Native American Ojibwe used alder along with with bloodroot, wild plum, and red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) to make a scarlet dye for porcupine quill embroidery [3]. |
| References 1. Siberian alder, Morton Arboretum acc. 313-93*6 photos by Bruce Marlin 2. www.efloras.org, Flora of China, Alnus hirsuta Turczaninow ex Ruprecht, Bull. 3. United States Department of Agriculture NRCS Plant Fact Sheet 565 |
| Tree Encyclopedia / North American Insects & Spiders is dedicated to providing scientific and educational resources for our users through use of large images and macro photographs of flora and fauna. |
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Family Betulaceae – Alder, Birch, Hornbeam |
