Speckled Alder
(Alnus incana ssp. rugosa)

Other common names: Tag Alder, Gray Alder, Hoary Alder
French names: Aulne rugueux
Family: Birch Family (Betulaceae)
Distinctive features: Shrub;Prominent lenticels (speckles) scattered all over the bark.
Similar species:
  •   European Black Alder (Alnus glutinosa) - leaves are roundish and indented at the tips.
  •   Green Alder (Alnus viridis spp. crispa) - leaves are not double-toothed.
  •   Alder-leaved Buckthorn (Rhamnus alnifolia) - not an Alder.
Flowers: Spring
Leaves: Alternate;  Simple;  Double-toothed;  Roundish, alternate, toothed
Height: Up to 20-25 feet tall.
Trunk: Prominent lenticels (speckles) scattered all over the bark.
Habitat: Wet areas, along stream banks.
Books: Trees in Canada: 300   
Native/Non-native: Native
Status: Common
Notes: Easily confused with European Black Alder (Alnus glutinosa).
See Also:
  •   Alder: The Nitrogen Fix, from The Monday Garden, by Sue Sweeney
  

Trees and Shrubs       Alders    Birches    Cherries

Typical leaf. Note two important characteristics:

1. The tip is pointed, not blunt (European Black Alder (Alnus glutinosa) leaves are blunt-tipped, or even indented at the tip).

2. The edges are double-toothed.

Underside of a leaf.

For comparison, here are the leaves of the three Alders:
-Green Alder (Alnus viridis spp. crispa) (L)
-Speckled Alder (Alnus incana ssp. rugosa) (M)
-European Black Alder (Alnus glutinosa) (R).

Catkins.

Seed catkins. Note the short stalks. European Black Alder (Alnus glutinosa) catkins are on long stalks.

Speckled Alder hanging out over a frozen strem in a swamp.

Bud.

Another bud.
  

Trees and Shrubs       Alders    Birches    Cherries

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