Alnus incana (L.) Moench
Speckled Alder (gray alder; mountain alder)
Betulaceae (Birch family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Speckled Alder (gray alder; mountain alder)
Betulaceae (Birch family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC
Alnus incana ssp. tenuifolia
Species Information
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.
USDA Species Characteristics
Blooming Period:
Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Spring to Summer
Source: The USDA
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)
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 |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
879 | 7 | 2060 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
7 | 0 | 205 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
24 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
5 | 0 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
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) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and 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.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Alnus tenuifolia Nutt.