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Alnus incana (L.) Moench ssp. rugosa (Du Roi) R.T. Clausen

Speckled alder, tag alder, hoary alder, gray alder

KingdomPlantaePlants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
DivisionMagnoliophytaFlowering plants, also known as angiosperms
ClassMagnoliopsidaDicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
SubclassRosidaeRoses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
OrderFagalesBirch, she-oak, beech, walnut, bayberry, others
FamilyBetulaceaeBirch family: birches, alders, hazels, hornbeams and hop-hornbeams
GenusAlnusThe classical Latin name for this genus
Speciesincana
ssp.rugosa

About plant names...

Alders are small to medium in size, often with multiple trunks and branches. Speckled alders grow to 12-36′ (3.7-10 m), rarely reaching 60′ (18 m), usually less than 20′ (6.1 m) tall. These fast-growing trees are often found beside wet areas. The subspecies name, rugosa, means "wrinkled," and refers to the network of sunken veins on the bottom surface of each leaf. Alder roots, like many legumes, are capable of converting atmospheric nitrogen into usable nutrients, allowing them to grow in relatively infertile soil. These densely branched shrubs, with their penchant for growing in muddy soil and rapid spread by creating clonal colonies, form nearly impassable thickets.

Identification: These alders may be multiply branched large shrubs or small trees."Speckled" refers to the presence of many lenticels—white, or light gray or orange oval patches, wider than they are flat, on the trunk. Leaves are dark green, alternate, roughly oval, 2-4″ (5-10 cm) long, and doubly serrated. Male flowers are catkins 1½-3½″ (3.8-8.9 cm) long. Female flowers are cylindrical catkins attached directly to the branch, ⅛″ (4.8 mm) long. The fruits are egg-shaped cones about ⅝″ (1.6 cm) × ¼″ (7.9 mm), green at first, becoming dark brown and often persisting through the winter.

Online References:

Earl J.S. Rook's Flora, Fauna, Earth, and Sky ... The Natural History of the Northwoods

The Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Alnus incana (speckled alder, tag alder, hoary alder, gray alder)

8/1/2009 · Stan & Connie’s, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 10 × 7″ (25 × 17 cm) ID is uncertain

Alnus incana (L.) Moench var. americana Regel

Alnus rugosa (Du Roi) Spreng.

Alnus rugosa (Du Roi) Spreng. var. americana (Regel) Fernald

 

Alnus incana ssp. rugosa description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

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Alnus incana (speckled alder, tag alder, hoary alder, gray alder)

10/17/2011 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm) ID is uncertain

Alnus incana (speckled alder, tag alder, hoary alder, gray alder)

10/16/2011 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) ID is uncertain

Alnus incana (speckled alder, tag alder, hoary alder, gray alder)

10/16/2011 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9.2 cm) ID is uncertain

Alnus incana (speckled alder, tag alder, hoary alder, gray alder)

8/1/2009 · Stan & Connie’s, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 7 × 5″ (18 × 12 cm) ID is uncertain

Range:

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