Everyone knows what an alder looks like. Homely in appearance, but it is a real harbinger of the onset of spring. When all the trees are still with bare black trunks, catching up with melancholy and sadness, the alder blooms with might and main. It is with flowering that the life cycle of this tree begins, then young leaves begin to appear. Alder is a deciduous tree, a family of birch trees. Depending on the location, it can be in the form of a tree or shrub.
Description
The shoots of a young plant are cylindrical with a greenish core.
The buds grow on legs, have two scales. Alder leaves grow in the next order, the leaf shape is solid lobed, sometimes serrated at the edges. The shape of the sheet can vary - from round or slightly oblong to elongated.
Flowering occurs with monoecious flowers, which have the shape of fluffy earrings - the birch family has such a distinctive feature. In this case, stamens are formed on top of the shoot in the form of long earrings, and pistils are formed in the lower part and have the shape of small spikelets.
A distinctive feature of the alder is that it blooms before or at the same time as the beginning of the blooming of leaves. Thanks to this, pollen is better tolerated by the wind.
Inflorescences are formed during the preceding flowering year, at different times: female, stamen - begin to form in the middle of summer (about 5-6 months in duration), male, pistillate - in the fall (1-2 months form).
During the formation of inflorescences, male flowers are formed in an amount of 3 pieces, less often - one in the form of an earring. Female flowers are formed in pairs, at the bottom of the shoot.
The fruit is a solid, stiff bump, characteristic of an alder. Among the many trees in the forest, alder can be identified precisely by these cones.
The trunk is usually slender, covered with smooth bark on the outside. The density of the wood is small.
You can distinguish alder from other trees by the following parameters:
- begins early flowering;
- has earrings;
- there are small bumps on the shoots.
Alder grows in a zone of temperate climate, prefers rich and moist soil, but can grow in dry and clay soil.
Kinds
Depending on the terrain and living conditions, it can have any number of different forms. You can find more than a hundred different species - trees and shrubs. On the territory of Russia, 2 of these species are most often found - it is sticky black and gray, namely:
- Black look. The name is due to the leaves having an adhesive element, and due to the fact that the trunk is black. In Greek myths, this species was described as a harbinger of spring. Description: this species is capable of rapid growth, often the height reaches 20 meters. It grows in the forest, most often lonely, nearby plants of other species do not grow. The plant begins to bloom in mid-spring. The fruits are small black bumps. Black alder photophilous and loves moist soil, so it can often be found in wet places. Often this species combines to form alder thickets. It is considered an endangered species in some regions of Russia. Planted along ponds, the plant adorns parks and squares.
- Another type of tree - gray alder - can be easily distinguished from other trees. The appearance of the tree (in the photo) is not similar to its “black” relative - it has a slightly curved trunk with a bark that has a gray tint, while the leaves of the tree also have a gray color. When flowering, it produces brownish-colored earrings. During flowering, the tree looks very elegant and unusual. Unlike its other brethren, the gray species is unpretentious to habitats - it lives even on poor soils and in wetlands. It has great resistance to frost and windy weather. Young shoots grow rapidly, often forming dense thickets of trees and shrubs. This property of trees is often used for industrial purposes - trees are planted along the coast, thereby additionally securing them from collapse.
In addition to these, there are also other species that are widespread throughout Russia. Among them, one can distinguish such a species as shrub alder or Siberian alder. Such plants are small trees with a maximum height of 6-8 meters. They live mainly in the Siberian part of Russia and in the Far East.
Most species of this tree begin to bloom in early spring - from April to May. As noted above, flowering begins before the leaves bloom. Flowers - long earrings and small black cones.
Growing
Although alder is often considered a weed tree, this is far from the case. This opinion is due to the wood of the tree. Alder wood is often small, curved, it is difficult to use for industrial purposes. However, some species of this tree perfectly take root in unpretentious conditions, which is an excellent property for breeding nurseries or starting growing forests.
So, for example, gray alder lives in any locality and on any soil. In addition, a large amount of nitrogen accumulates on its roots in tubers, which gradually settles into the ground and is able to restore the fertility of the soil around it.
Growing alder trees and shrubs is a fairly easy task. The seeds of the plant sprout easily. Alder cones are quite solid, which prevents them from scattering during the collection of seeds, this eliminates the ingress of foreign impurities into them.
It is worth noting that black alder is much more difficult to grow. A tree loves only moist soil rich in mineral elements, and hardly grows on poor, depleted soil with insufficient moisture; therefore, such a tree is unsuitable for breeding a nursery; it is often planted along the banks of rivers and reservoirs.
Alder cultivation - benefits:
- some species are unpretentious to the soil, which allows you to plant trees in any area;
- easy to collect seeds;
- begins early flowering;
- due to the accumulation of nitrogenous formations on the roots, it is able to improve soil fertility.
Application
Alder family trees have healing and healing properties. Cones from trees have anti-inflammatory and disinfecting properties, which are used to prepare various medications. The elements contained in the leaves and bark of the trees adversely affect various types of simple microorganisms. Therefore, parts of the tree can be used to make preparations for skin diseases - eczema, psoriasis, and various fungi.
Alder cones also found their application in the medical field. Tinctures and decoctions of them are used in case of colitis, dysentery, as an astringent component in gastric or intestinal bleeding. Due to astringent properties, alder leaves and cones are used in the treatment of burns, nose and mouth bleeding, stomach ulcers, various skin inflammations.
The healing properties of alder were known to our ancestors. A decoction of alder leaves has been used since ancient times as a diaphoretic for colds. You can also make wonderful relaxing foot baths from it.
Industrial use
The use of alder for industrial purposes is quite wide:
- although alder wood does not differ in high strength, but it is quite soft and supple, which greatly facilitates the work with it for industrial purposes;
- drying of alder wood does not lead to cracking, and therefore this material is often used to make musical instruments;
- has a low density and soft wood, due to which the wood material is widely used by artists carving wood;
- alder products gain strength over time, wells, barrels, underground structures are made of it;
- alder wood products are widespread - from decorative panels and caskets to furniture;
- the construction world of materials also makes extensive use of alder wood for interior decoration or furniture.
In conclusion, it is worth noting the relatively low cost of wood, which affected widespread use in industry.