E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Alnus incana (L.) Moench
Speckled Alder (gray alder; mountain alder)
Betulaceae (Birch family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Bryan Kelly-McArthur  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #87493)

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Distribution of Alnus incana
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SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC
Alnus incana ssp. tenuifolia

Species Information

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General:
Deciduous shrub or tree, up to 12 m tall, usually 2-5 m tall, new growth short-hairy; axillary buds with short stalks; bark scaly, often lichen-covered, yellowish-brown or grey.
Leaves:
Alternate, deciduous, smooth, coarsely to irregularly toothed, the teeth pointing outwards, leaf margins not rolled under, brownish in the fall.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of male and female catkins, which open before the leaves on previous year's growth; male catkins with stalks.
Fruits:
Small nutlets, without wings; female cones 1-1.5 cm long, egg-shaped.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

USDA Species Characteristics

Blooming Period:
Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Spring to Summer
Source:  The USDA

Habitat / Range

Moist forests, streamsides, bogs and fens in the montane zone; common in BC east of the Coast-Cascade Mountains; N to AK, YT and NT, E to SK, and S to NM, AZ and CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Alnus incana

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
Site Information
 Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum
Elevation (metres) 7 879 2060
Slope Gradient (%) 0 7 205
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W] 		0 24 360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric] 		0 5 8
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class		 D
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:		 2151
Modal BEC Zone Class
 SBS
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: BG(20), BWBS(335), CWH(17), ESSF(111), ICH(446), IDF(215), MH(1), MS(207), PP(15), SBPS(35), SBS(675), SWB(1)

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Alnus tenuifolia Nutt.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Betulaceae
 Flora North America treatment for Alnus incana
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
 International Plant Names Index
 Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
 Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
 Google Image Search
 Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
 General Botanical References for BC
Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-05-09 2:49:58 PM ]
Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.
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