Grey Alder

Alnus incana (rugosa)

Photo taken by Calvin De Jong

Description

Height 15-20 m

Width 0-50 cm

Leaves 5-11 cm long, 4-8 cm wide

Catkins 5-10 cm

Cones 1-1.5 cm

The grey alder is a fast-growing small to a medium-sized deciduous tree. The catkins which are the alders fruit that produce the seeds can be found growing in early spring before the leaves appear. During the autumn the foliage does not change color staying mostly green until the leaves fall to the ground.

Distribution and habitat

The grey alder can be found growing around waterways and moist forests throughout the northern hemisphere. I tend to find grey alder growing along forest edges where under groundwater runs nearby. They are also widely used in the Okanagan along logging roads to help sustain soils and banks from eroding.

Elevation 0-1500 m

Soil poor soils

PH 5.5-7

Zones 2-6

Sun partial shade

Uses & Benefits

Alder-bark and leaves can be used as a medicine, they can be used to treat skin conditions ranging from burns, bites, dry skin, eczema and infected wounds. Boiling the inner bark in vinegar produces a useful wash to treat lice and a range of skin problems such as scabies and scabs. A decoction of the leaves is used in folk remedies for treating cancer of the breast, duodenum, esophagus, face, pylorus, pancreas, rectum, throat, tongue, and uterus. The leaves are harvested in the summer and used fresh.

Parts used:

Bark
Leaves
catkins
cones

Ways to use Alder

Tea
Poultice
Decoction
Infusions
Creams

Warning!! fresh bark will cause vomiting so use only dried bark.

Calvin De Jong

Content Writer/Photographer

I am a naturalist from the Okanagan. My passions are taken photos of nature and foraging all its wonders.