ALDER
Alnus cordata is the Italian alder.
All the alders last well in water, so has been used for quay-sides and harbours. Much of old Venice is built on alder piles driven into the muddy waters of the lagoon. They produce catkins in the spring and the seeds are held in structure that looks like a conifer cone. A.cordata produces the largest of the pseudo-cones.
Alders are in the same botanical family as birches, Betulaceae. You can see a lot of similarity in the catkins.
Alnus glutinosa is the alder native to England and Europe. The peculiarity of the native alder is that many leaves have a flattened top or even a dimple.
For more information about Alders go here.
All the alders last well in water, so has been used for quay-sides and harbours. Much of old Venice is built on alder piles driven into the muddy waters of the lagoon. They produce catkins in the spring and the seeds are held in structure that looks like a conifer cone. A.cordata produces the largest of the pseudo-cones.
Alders are in the same botanical family as birches, Betulaceae. You can see a lot of similarity in the catkins.
Alnus glutinosa is the alder native to England and Europe. The peculiarity of the native alder is that many leaves have a flattened top or even a dimple.
For more information about Alders go here.
