Alder

Species and Appearance

Speckled alder (A. rugosa) is a transcontinental shrub and the most common Canadian alder. Red alder (A. rubra) is a small, short-lived tree of western British Columbia and green alder (A. crispa) is a transcontinental northern shrub. The Sitka alder (A. crispa ssp. sinuata) is found in BC mountains, and is considered by some to be a distinct species (A. sinuata).

The genus displays birchlike characteristics, such as shallow roots, horizontal bark markings (lenticels) and elongated spring catkins (cylindrical reproductive structures). Alders occupy moist sites and have nitrogen-fixing root nodules. They are distinguished by stalked buds, twig cores somewhat triangular in cross-section, and fruiting bodies resembling miniature cones.

Uses

Alders have been used by healers, artisans and warriors alike. The bark has been used as a throat medicine (see Traditional Plants and Indigenous Peoples in Canada; Indigenous Peoples' Medicine in Canada); the wood for cabinets and for bridge foundations because of the material's endurance under water, and the charcoal as a constituent of gunpowder.