Botanical name:                    Alnus glutinosa

Family:                                     Betulacae

Common Name:                    Black Alder

Habitat and Distribution:

A native of Britain, it occurs throughout most of Europe and across Russia to Siberia. Its range also includes the Caucasus, Iran, Turkey and North Africa, where it is native to Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. It has been introduced to North America, probably during colonial times, and has become naturalised in eastern Canada and the northeast of the USA.

Typically found by open water, streams and boggy places, very tolerant of water logged conditions whilst dormant. Tolerant of all soil types except poor acid peats. It requires plenty of light.

Since it fixes nitrogen via root nodules and will grow on relatively infertile soils it is often used for site reclamation.

Description:

A deciduous multi-stemmed tree with a narrow pyramidal or columnar shape, typically 13-20 (40-60 ft) metres tall and 6-12 metres (20-40 ft) wide. It is a rapidly growing tree (0.5m pa for first 30 - 40 years)

The summer leaves are dark green, 5-10 cm long and 7-10 cm wide, they are smooth oval shaped with a broad blunt tip. There is no

Location within the arboretum:

A pair of trees are located towards the northern end of the Furniture Makers Walk, just north of the Main Drive.

Furniture Makers Trees at The Arboretum - Kew at Castle Howard

autumn colour the leaves fall off tree either green or brown.

Male and female catkins are borne in spring; male catkins shed pollen in early March when they are about 5-10 cm long, females are about 0.5 cm long. The fruits are a green, egg-shaped nutlet, 1-2 cm. and turn woody through winter to resemble dark brown cones

The bark is dark greenish brown, soon splitting into thick plates, young stems are smooth.

Age up to 150 years.

Timber:

The wood is a dull, light reddish brown with darker ray markings and has a course texture.

When cut on the quarter some figuring may be revealed, but this is not always the case.

Trees mature at about 60 years

Uses:

It is a general purpose hardwood and pulpwood. It is used for country chairs, carving and is particularly suitable for turning.

Formerly in industrial England it was used to make clogs, possibly because it is a poor conductor of heat. It is still used in Scandinavia in the manufacture of clogs.

In Japan, gnarled pieces are popular for carving.

Burns quickly when used for firewood but suitable for charcoal (was used for charcoal for gunpowder).

Hardens when immersed in water so was favoured for the making of lock gates and for making piles (Most of Venice is built on piles made of alder trunks)

The bark and leaves contain tannin and have astringent properties, they have been used in folk medicine to treat chills.

Alder on the Furniture Makers Walk

Bark

Coppiced stool

Leaves and fruit

Male catkins

Fruit

Old fruit resembles a cone

Typical boggy environment

Bowl turned from figured alder

Detail of grain

Guitar front in alder, allegedly alder was used to make Stradivarius violins