We have recently published ‘Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions’: i.e. tropical and sub-tropical regions. We rely on regular donations to keep our free database going and help fund development of this and another book we are planning on food forest plants for Mediterranean climates. Please give what you can to keep PFAF properly funded. More >>>

Follow Us:

 

Alnus tenuifolia - Nutt.

Common Name Mountain Alder, Thinleaf alder
Family Betulaceae
USDA hardiness 5-7
Known Hazards The freshly harvested inner bark is emetic but is alright once it has been dried[172].
Habitats Moist soils by swamps, streams, ponds and lakes in foothills to well up in the mountains[60, 229].
Range Western N. America - Alaska to California and New Mexico.
Edibility Rating    (1 of 5)
Other Uses    (3 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (2 of 5)
Care (info)
Fully Hardy Moist Soil Wet Soil Semi-shade Full sun
Alnus tenuifolia Mountain Alder, Thinleaf alder


Alnus tenuifolia Mountain Alder, Thinleaf alder

 

Translate this page:

Summary

Bloom Color: Purple, Red. Main Bloom Time: Early spring, Late spring, Mid spring. Form: Oval, Pyramidal.


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of lolypop
Alnus tenuifolia is a deciduous Tree growing to 9 m (29ft 6in) at a fast rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 2. It is in flower in March, and the seeds ripen in October. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and is pollinated by Wind.
It can fix Nitrogen.
Suitable for: medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay and nutritionally poor soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist or wet soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

A. incana tenuifolia. (Nutt.)Breitung.

Plant Habitats

Woodland Garden Canopy; Secondary; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Bog Garden;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Flowers
Edible Uses:

Catkins - raw or cooked. A bitter taste[172].

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Anodyne  Astringent  Emetic  Febrifuge  Haemostatic  Stomachic  Tonic

The bark is astringent, emetic, haemostatic, stomachic and tonic[172]. The bark also contains salicin[226], which probably decomposes into salicylic acid (closely related to aspirin) in the human body[213]. This is used as an anodyne and febrifuge[226]. The outer bark is astringent and is applied as a poultice to bleeding wounds, it also reduces swellings[226].

References   More on Medicinal Uses

The Bookshop: Edible Plant Books

Our Latest books on Perennial Plants For Food Forests and Permaculture Gardens in paperback or digital formats.

Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions: 250+ Plants For Tropical Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
Edible Tropical Plants

Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions: 250+ Plants For Tropical Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.

More
Plants for Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
Edible Temperate Plants

Plants for Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.

More
PFAF have eight books available in paperback and digital media.
More Books

PFAF have eight books available in paperback and digital formats. Browse the shop for more information.

Shop Now

Other Uses

Pioneer  Soil stabilization  Tannin  Wood

This is an excellent pioneer species for re-establishing woodlands on disused farmland, difficult sites etc[226]. Its fast rate of growth means that it quickly provides sheltered conditions to allow more permanent woodland trees to become established. In addition, bacteria on the roots fix atmospheric nitrogen - whilst this enables the tree to grow well in quite poor soils it also makes some of this nitrogen available to other plants growing nearby. Alder trees also have a heavy leaf canopy and when the leaves fall in the autumn they help to build up the humus content of the soil. Alder seedlings do not compete well in shady woodland conditions and so this species gradually dies out as the other trees become established[K]. The tree has an extensive root system and can be planted to control banks from erosion[226]. The bark and the strobils are a source of tannin[82]. A dark dye is obtained from the bark[226]. The colour can range from orange through red to brown[257]. Wood - soft, straight-grained, very durable in water[82]. It is of no commercial value, though it is used locally as a fuel[229].

Special Uses

Nitrogen Fixer

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Landscape Uses: Erosion control. Prefers a heavy soil and a damp situation[1, 11]. Grows well in heavy clay soils[11]. Tolerates very infertile sites[200]. A fast-growing but short-lived tree[229]. There is some confusion over the correct name of this tree with one authority citing the European species A. incana as the correct name[60]. Another report says that this species is closely related to A. incana, but distinct[229]. Some modern works treat it as a subspecies (Alnus incana tenuifolia). This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil micro-organisms, these form nodules on the roots of the plants and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[200]. Special Features:Not North American native, Wetlands plant, Inconspicuous flowers or blooms. In garden design, as well as the above-ground architecture of a plant, root structure considerations help in choosing plants that work together for their optimal soil requirements including nutrients and water. The root pattern is branching: a heart root, dividing from the crown into several primary roots going down and out [2-1].

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

image

The PFAF Bookshop

Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).

Shop Now

Plant Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe and only just covered[200]. Spring sown seed should also germinate successfully so long as it is not covered[200, K]. The seed should germinate in the spring as the weather warms up. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots. If growth is sufficient, it is possible to plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer, otherwise keep them in pots outdoors and plant them out in the spring. If you have sufficient quantity of seed, it can be sown thinly in an outdoor seed bed in the spring[78]. The seedlings can either be planted out into their permanent positions in the autumn/winter, or they can be allowed to grow on in the seed bed for a further season before planting them. Cuttings of mature wood, taken as soon as the leaves fall in autumn, outdoors in sandy soil.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Range

NORTHERN AMERICA: Canada (Northwest Territories (west), Yukon, Saskatchewan (north), Alberta, British Columbia), United States (Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Montana (west), Oregon, Washington, Wyoming (s. & w.), New Mexico (north), Arizona, California (north), Nevada (north), Utah)

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Alnus acuminataAlderTree25.0 10-12 FLMHSNM023
Alnus cordataItalian AlderTree25.0 5-9 FMHSNDMWe004
Alnus glutinosaAlder, European alder , Common Alder, Black AlderTree25.0 3-7 FMHSNMWe035
Alnus hirsuta Tree18.0 3-7  MHSNMWe002
Alnus incanaGrey Alder, Speckled alder, Thinleaf alder, White AlderTree18.0 2-6 FMHSNDMWe003
Alnus japonicaJapanese AlderTree22.0 4-8 FMHSNDMWe012
Alnus jorullensisMexican alder, Evergreen AlderTree25.0 7-12 FLMHSNMWe003
Alnus maritimaSeaside Alder, Beach AlderTree9.0 3-7 MMHNMWe003
Alnus maximowiczii Tree9.0 4-8  MHSNMWe002
Alnus nepalensisNepalese AlderTree22.0 8-11 FMHSNMWe013
Alnus nitidaWest Himalayan AlderTree30.0 7-10  MHSNDMWe013
Alnus rhombifoliaWhite AlderTree12.0 8-11 FMHSNMWe122
Alnus rubraRed Alder, Oregon AlderTree20.0 6-8 FMHSNMWe224
Alnus rugosaSpeckled AlderTree22.0 2-6 FMHSNMWe023
Alnus serrulataSmooth Alder, Hazel alderShrub4.5 3-9  MHNMWe022
Alnus sinuataSitka AlderShrub4.0 2-9 FMHSNMWe113
Alnus viridis crispaAmerican Green AlderShrub3.0 4-8  MHSNMWe123

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Expert comment

Author

Nutt.

Botanical References

1160200

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here

Readers comment

Add a comment

If you have important information about this plant that may help other users please add a comment or link below. Only comments or links that are felt to be directly relevant to a plant will be included. If you think a comment/link or information contained on this page is inaccurate or misleading we would welcome your feedback at [email protected]. If you have questions about a plant please use the Forum on this website as we do not have the resources to answer questions ourselves.

* Please note: the comments by website users are not necessarily those held by PFAF and may give misleading or inaccurate information.

To leave a comment please Register or login here All comments need to be approved so will not appear immediately.

Subject : Alnus tenuifolia  
© 2010, Plants For A Future. Plants For A Future is a charitable company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Charity No. 1057719, Company No. 3204567.