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Alnus incana Grey alder Deciduous tree (1 Page of 5) The Alnus incana plant species is found in Europe. Introduced in Britain[17]. It is a member of the Betulaceae family. Common gardeners may know the plant as Grey alder. Some home gardeners know the variety as Betula alnus incana. Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses Medicinal | Edible Uses Latin Name: Alnus incana Common Name: Grey alder Family: Betulaceae Author: (L.)Moench. Known Hazards: None known Mature Height: 18 Mature Width: 5 Habitat: Mountains, especially on poor soil[17, 50].
General Uses: This species fixes atmospheric nitrogen and is also tolerant of polluted soils, it can be used for land reclamation, especially on coal tips[200].
This is an excellent pioneer species for re-establishing woodlands on disused farmland, difficult sites etc. 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 gowing 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 bark and the fruits contain up to 20% tannin[46, 61, 223].
Wood - light, soft, fairly elastic, easy to split. Used for clogs, bowls, woodcuts etc. Much valued by cabinet makers[46, 61].
For further Alnus incana gardening information click on one of the blue links below Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses Medicinal | Edible Uses
The information above has been supplied solely via the hard work and dedication of the team at 'Plants for a Future'. View their bibliography

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