Alder

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Alder

Alder is the common name of a genus

Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
of flowering plant

Flowering plant

The flowering plants or angiosperms are the most widespread group of Embryophytes. The flowering plants and the gymnosperms are the only extant groups of Spermatophyte....
s (Alnus) belonging to the birch

Birch

Birch is the name of any tree of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae....
family (Family Betulaceae

Betulaceae

Betulaceae, or the Birch Family, includes six genera of deciduous nut -bearing trees and shrubs, including the birches, alders, hazels, hornbeams and hop-hornbeams, numbering about 130 species....
). The genus comprises about 30 species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
of monoecious

Plant sexuality

Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes Morphology aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
tree

TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
s and shrub

Shrub

A shrub or bush is a horticulture rather than strictly Botany category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall....
s, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the New World

New World

The New World is one of the names used for the non-Eurasian/non-African parts of the Earth, specifically the Americas and Australasia. When the term originated in the late 15th century, the Americas were new to the Europeans, who previously thought of the world as consisting only of Europe, Asia, and Africa ....
also along the Andes

Andes

The Andes form the world's longest exposed mountain range. They lie as a continuous chain of highland along the western coast of South America. The range is over 7,000 km long, 200-700 km wide , and of an average height of about 4,000 m ....
southwards to Argentina

Argentina

Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is a country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city....
.

Description
Alder leaves

Leaf

In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant Organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate fully into the tissues....
are deciduous

Deciduous

Deciduous means falling off at maturity or tending to fall off and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe....
(not evergreen

Evergreen

In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant having leaf all year round. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage for part of the year....
), alternate, simple, and serrated. The flower

Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproduction structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds....
s are catkin

Catkin

A catkin or ament is a slim, cylindrical flower cluster, with inconspicuous or no petals, usually wind-pollination but sometimes insect pollinated ....
s with elongate male catkins on the same plant as shorter female catkins, often before leaves appear; they are mainly wind-pollinated, but also visited by bee

Bee

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Encyclopedia

Alder is the common name of a genus

Genus

Flowering plant

Birch

Birch is the name of any tree of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae....
family (Family Betulaceae

Betulaceae

Species

Plant sexuality

Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes Morphology aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
tree

TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
s and shrub

Shrub

New World

Andes

Argentina

Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is a country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city....
.

Description

Alder leaves

Leaf

Deciduous

Evergreen

Flower

Catkin

Bee

Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants. Bees are a monophyly lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila....
s to a small extent. They differ from the birch

Birch

Birch is the name of any tree of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae....
es (Betula, the other genus in the family) in that the female catkins are woody and do not disintegrate at maturity, opening to release the seeds in a similar manner to many conifer cone

Conifer cone

A cone is an organ on plants in the division Pinophyta that contains the plant sexuality structures. The familiar woody cone is the female cone, which produces seeds....
s.

The largest species are Red Alder

Red Alder

Alnus rubra is a deciduous broadleaf tree native to western North America....
(A. rubra) on the west coast of North America

North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
and Black Alder (A. glutinosa), native to most of Europe

Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
and widely introduced elsewhere, both reaching over 30 m. By contrast, the widespread Green Alder

Green Alder

Alnus viridis is an alder with a wide range across the cooler parts of the Northern Hemisphere....
(A. viridis) is rarely more than a 5 m in shrubs.

=Uses=

Environmental uses

As soil enrichers

Alders establish symbioses

Symbiosis

The term symbiosis commonly describes close and often long-term interactions between different biological species. The term was first used in 1879 by the Germany mycology Heinrich Anton de Bary, who defined it as "the living together of unlike organisms"....
with the nitrogen

Nitrogen

Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N and atomic number 7 and atomic mass 14.00674?. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78% by volume of Earth's atmosphere....
-fixing Actinobacteria

Actinobacteria

Actinobacteria or actinomycetes are a group of Gram-positive bacterium with high G+C ratio. ...
Frankiella alni. This bacteria converts atmospheric nitrogen into soil-soluble nitrate

Nitrate

In inorganic chemistry, a nitrate is a salt of nitric acid with an ion composed of one nitrogen and three oxygen atoms . In organic chemistry the esters of nitric acid and various alcohols are called nitrates....
s which can be utilised by the alder, and favorably enhances the soil fertility generally. Alders benefit other plants growing near them by taking nitrogen out of the air and depositing it in the soil in usable form; fallen alder leaves make very rich compost

Compost

Compost , sometimes known as brown manure, is the end result of controlled aerobic decomposition of organic matter known as composting. It is used in landscaping, horticulture and agriculture as a soil conditioner and fertilizer to add vital humus or humic acids....
.

As pioneer species

Alders are sturdy and fast-growing, even in acidic and damaged sites such as burned areas and mining

Mining

Mining is the extraction of value minerals or other geology materials from the earth, usually from an ore body, vein or seam. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, Sodium chloride and potash....
sites. Italian Alder is particularly useful on dry, infertile sites. Alders can be used as a producer of simple bio-mass, growing quickly in harsh environments.

As wildlife fodder

Alder catkins are one of the first sources of pollen for bee

Bee

Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera is an order of insect that includes moths and butterfly. It is one of the most speciose orders in the class Insecta, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterfly, skipper , and Hedylidae....
(butterfly

Butterfly

A butterfly is an insect of the Order Lepidoptera. Like all Lepidoptera, butterflies are notable for their unusual Biological life cycle with a larval caterpillar stage, an inactive pupal stage, and a spectacular metamorphosis into a familiar and colourful winged adult form....
and moth

Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the Order Lepidoptera. The differences between butterflies and moths are more than just taxonomy....
) species, see list of Lepidoptera that feed on alders.

As a shelterbelt

Alders are also exceptionally good windbreaks

Windbreak

A windbreak or shelterbelt is a plantation usually made up of one or more rows of trees or shrubs planted in such a manner as to provide shelter from the wind and to protect soil from erosion....
and are planted on the west coast of Scotland

Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
to shelter gardens.

Commercial uses

In cabinetry

Alder lumber is an important fast growing renewable resource used in a wide range of applications including furniture, cabinets, panel systems and special products. Alder has a fine close-grained structure and is easily stained and finished. Part of the popularity of Alder lumber is due to the unusually wide range of grades that are available. Each grade is optimized for a functional and/or economic aspect of a product, with visible surfaces, structural components and hidden parts typically using different grades.

Alders are also grown in gardens, and are sometimes made into bonsai

Bonsai

Bonsai 'Bonsai' is a Japanese pronunciation of the earlier Chinese term penzai . The word bonsai is used in the West as an umbrella term for all miniature trees in containers or pots....
.

In musical instrumentation

Alder is popular as a material for electric guitar

Electric guitar

An electric guitar is a type of guitar that uses pickup to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current, which is made louder with an instrument amplifier and a speaker....
bodies, used by many guitar makers . Alder provides a brighter tone than other woods (such as mahogany), and as alder is not a particularly dense wood it provides a resonant, well-rounded tone with excellent sustain. Alder is also occasionally used to make harps, although this is a rarity.

In industry

Alder is a preferred wood for charcoal

Charcoal

Charcoal is the blackish residue consisting of impure carbon obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances....
making, formerly used in the manufacture of gunpowder

Gunpowder

Gunpowder, also called black powder, is an explosive mixture of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate, KNO3 that burns rapidly, producing volumes of hot solids and gases which can be used as a propellant in firearms and as a pyrotechnic composition in fireworks....
, or for smelting

Smelting

Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores....
metal

Metal

In chemistry, a metal is a chemical element whose atoms readily lose electrons to form positive ions , and form metallic bonds between other metal atoms and ionic bonds between nonmetal atoms....
ore

Ore

An ore is a type of Rock that contains minerals such as gemstones and metals that can be extracted through mining and refined for use. Samples of ore in the form of exceptionally beautiful crystals, exotic layering visible when sectioned or polished or metallic presentations such as large nuggets or crystalline formations of metals suc...
s.

In fish smoking

The wood is also traditionally used for smoking fish

Fish

A fish is any marine biology vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scale , and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins....
and meat

Meat

In modern English usage, meat most often refers to animal biological tissue used as food, mostly skeletal muscle and associated fat, but it may also refer to offal, including livers, skin, brains, bone marrow, kidneys, in some countries lungs, and a variety of other internal organs as well as blood....
, though this usage has often been replaced by other woods such as oak

Oak

The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of about 400 species of trees and shrubs in the genus Quercus , which are listed in the List of Quercus species, and some related genera, notably Lithocarpus....
and hickory

Hickory

Trees in the genus Carya are commonly known as Hickory. The genus includes 17?19 species of deciduous trees with pinnately compound leaf and large nut ....
.

An exception is the smoked Pacific salmon

Oncorhynchus

Oncorhynchus is a genus of in the family Salmonidae; it contains the Pacific salmons and Pacific trouts. The name of the genus is derived from the Greek language onkos and rynchos , in reference to the "kype" - the hooked jaw of males in mating season....
industry in the Pacific Northwest

Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest is a region in the northwest of North America . There are several partially overlapping definitions but the term Pacific Northwest should not be confused with the Northwest Territory or the Northwest Territories of Canada....
, where alder smoking is essentially universal. This is partly due to indigenous traditions of food preservation in the area, and partly because oak, hickory, mesquite

Mesquite

Mesquite is a legume plant of the Prosopis genus found in Northern Mexico and the United States from the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas up to southwestern Kansas and from southeastern California and southwestern Utah to the southern limits of the Sonoran desert....
and other woods favored for smoking elsewhere are not locally available in any large quantities. Species used for Pacific salmon smoking are Red alder

Red Alder

Alnus rubra is a deciduous broadleaf tree native to western North America....
A. rubra and to a lesser extent Sitka alder

Green Alder

Alnus viridis is an alder with a wide range across the cooler parts of the Northern Hemisphere....
A. viridis ssp. sinuata.

As a dye

In the 17th century it is recorded that in Ayrshire that alder bark was collected and used for tanning.

Nitrogen fixation

Alder is particularly noted for its important symbiotic relationship with Frankia

Frankia

Frankia is a genus of nitrogen fixing filamentous bacteria that live in symbiosis with actinorhizal plants, similar to Rhizobia. Bacteria of this genus form root nodules....
alni, actinomycete filamentous

Filamentation

Filamentation is the anomalous growth of certain bacteria, such as E. coli, in which cells continue to elongate but do not divide . Bacterial filamentation is a defect in completing replication and is observed in bacteria responding to a various stresses....
nitrogen-fixing bacterium. This bacterium is found in root nodules which may be as large as a human fist

Fist

A fist is a hand that has the fingers curled into the palm and the thumb retracted. This is typically used in unarmed combat, such as fist-fighting....
, with many small lobes and light brown in appearance. The bacterium absorbs nitrogen

Nitrogen

Carbon

Carbon is a chemical element with chemical symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalence?making four electrons available to form covalent bond chemical bonds....
, which it produces through photosynthesis

Photosynthesis

File:Seawifs global biosphere.jpgPhotosynthesis is a metabolic pathway that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight....
. As a result of this mutually-beneficial relationship, alder improves the fertility of the soils where it grows, and as a pioneer species

Pioneer species

Pioneer species are species which colonize previously uncolonized land, usually leading to ecological succession. Since uncolonized land usually has thin, poor quality soils with few nutrients, pioneer species are typically very hearty plants with adaptations such as long roots,...
, it helps provide additional nitrogen for the successional

Ecological succession

Ecological succession, a fundamental concept in ecology, refers to more-or-less predictable and orderly changes in the composition or structure of an ecological Community ....
species which follow.

Word origin

The common name alder is derived from an old Germanic root. Also found to be the translation of the Old French "verne" for alder or copse

Copse

A copse is an England term for a small lowland woodland. It is often used as a part of a place name, for example Borthwood Copse on the Isle of Wight, or Moor Copse near Tidmarsh....
of alders. The botanic name Alnus is the equivalent Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
name. Both the Latin and the Germanic words derive from the Proto-Indo-European

Proto-Indo-European language

The Proto-Indo-European language is the unattested, linguistic reconstruction common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, spoken by the Proto-Indo-Europeans....
root el-, meaning "red" or "brown", which is also a root for the English words elk and another tree: elm, a tree distantly related to the alders.

Edibility and Medicinal Uses

Alder catkins are edible and high in protein. Although they are reported to have a bitter and unpleasant taste, they are best remembered for survival purposes. Alder wood is also commonly used to smoke various food items.

Alder bark contains the anti-inflammatory salicin which is metabolized into salicylic acid

Salicylic acid

Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid with the chemical formula C6H4COOH, where the OH group is adjacent to the carboxylic acid....
in the body. Native Americans used Red Alder bark (Alnus rubra) to treat poison oak, insect bites, and skin irritations. Blackfeet Indians used an infusion made from the bark of Red Alder to treat lymphatic disorders and tuberculosis. Recent clinical studies have verified that red alder contains betulin

Betulin

Betulin is an abundant naturally occurring triterpene. It is commonly isolated from the bark of birch trees and forms up to 30% of the dry weight of the extractive ....
and lupeol, compounds shown to be effective against a variety of tumors.

Classification

The genus is divided into three subgenera:

Subgenus Alnus. Trees. Shoot buds stalked. Male and female catkins produced in autumn (fall) but staying closed over winter, pollinating in late winter or early spring. About 15-25 species, including:

Alnus acuminata
Alnus acuminata

Alnus acuminata References* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 20 August 2007....
— Andean Alder. Andes Mountains, South America.
Alnus cordata — Italian Alder. Italy.
Alnus cremastogyne
Alnus firma — Kyushu
Kyushu

or Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its Japanese Archipelago. Its alternate ancient names include Kyukoku , Chinzei , and Tsukushi-no-shima ....
(Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
)
Alnus glutinosa — Black Alder. Europe.

*Alnus incana — Grey Alder. Eurasia.

- Alnus hirsuta (A. incana subsp. hirsuta) — Manchurian Alder. Northeastern Asia
  Asia
  
  Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
  , and central Asia in mountains.
- Alnus oblongifolia (A. incana subsp. oblongifolia) — Arizona Alder. Southwestern North America.
- Alnus rugosa (A. incana subsp. rugosa) — Speckled Alder. Northeastern North America.
- Alnus tenuifolia (A. incana subsp. tenuifolia) — Thinleaf or Mountain Alder. Northwestern North America.
Alnus japonica — Japanese Alder. Japan.
Alnus jorullensis — Mexican Alder. Mexico, Guatemala.
Alnus mandshurica — Russian Far East
Russian Far East

Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Siberia and the Pacific Ocean....
, China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
, Korea
Korea

Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries, a civilization, and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia....
.
Alnus matsumurae — Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
(Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
).
Alnus nepalensis — Nepalese Alder. Eastern Himalaya, southwest China.
Alnus orientalis — Oriental Alder. Southern Turkey, northwest Syria, Cyprus.
Alnus pendula — Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
, Korea
Korea

Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries, a civilization, and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia....
.
Alnus rhombifolia
Alnus rhombifolia

Alnus rhombifolia is an alder native to western North America, from Washington east to western Montana and south to California, occurring at altitudes of 100?2400 m....
— White Alder. Interior western North America.
Alnus rubra — Red Alder. West coastal North America.

*Alnus serrulata — Hazel alder, Tag Alder or Smooth alder. Eastern North America.

Alnus sieboldiana — Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
(Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
).
Alnus subcordata — Caucasian Alder. Caucasus, Iran.
Alnus trabeculosa — China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
, Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
.

Subgenus Clethropsis. Trees or shrubs. Shoot buds stalked. Male and female catkins produced in autumn (fall) and expanding and pollinating then. Three species:

Alnus formosana — Formosan Alder Taiwan
Alnus maritima
Alnus maritima

Alnus maritima is a species of plant in the Betulaceae family. Alnus maritima is Endemism to the United States, and is found naturally in three disjunct populations in Oklahoma, Georgia, and in Maryland and Delaware on the Delmarva Peninsula....
— Seaside Alder. East coastal North America, plus disjunct population in Oklahoma.
Alnus nitida — Himalayan Alder. Western Himalaya.

Subgenus Alnobetula. Shrubs. Shoot buds not stalked. Male and female catkins produced in late spring (after leaves appear) and expanding and pollinating then. One to four species:

*Alnus viridis — Green Alder. Widespread:

- Alnus viridis subsp. viridis. Eurasia.
- Alnus viridis subsp. maximowiczii (A. maximowiczii). Japan.
- Alnus viridis subsp. crispa (A. crispa). Northern North America.
- Alnus viridis subsp. sinuata (A. sinuata, Sitka Alder or Slide Alder). Western North America, far northeastern Siberia.

Alder

Description

Environmental uses

As soil enrichers

As pioneer species

As wildlife fodder

As a shelterbelt

Commercial uses

In cabinetry

In musical instrumentation

In industry

In fish smoking

As a dye

Nitrogen fixation

Word origin

Edibility and Medicinal Uses

Classification

External links