Native Trees of the Village of Euxton.

The Alder.

Alder - Alnus glutinosa.  It is known as the Common Alder, Black Alder, and belonging to the Betulacae Family.

The Alder has an height of up to 20 metres.
It is a fast growing tree that matures at about 60 years.  It has a long trunk and arrow like crown that is very distinctive in outline, especially during the winter.  The Alder is known to grow for up to 150 years.  The Alder is very tolerant of water and very wet conditions whilst dormant, as such it is a typical stream-side tree which grows in most soil types across Britain.

The Alder has a natural distribution that is through out
the whole of the British Isles and is very common in damp habits in most parts of the country.

The flowers of the Alder appear before its leaves, generally in February and March.   The Alder produces both male and female catkins, the male catkins are long and pendulous, whilst the female catkins are egg shaped, and red in colour.  The Alders bright green leaves rounded with shallow serration's.
   
The seeds of the Alder float and can be carried by surface water run-off to streams where it may naturally germinate in mud.  Alder  seeds are reddish to brown and are flake like, coming from the Alders brown cones.

The timber of the Alder is a light reddish brown and porous with course texture. It is a general purpose hardwood and particularly suitable for turning.  Burns quickly when used for firewood but it is very suitable for the making of charcoal (then to be used for charcoal or the making of gunpowder).

The timber of the Alder hardens when immersed in water and is very suitable for the making of construction piles, those driven in sea water and similar.

The bark and leaves of the Alder are known to contain a tannin and have astringent properties.  This makes the Alder very suitable for folk medicine, for treating chills, etc.

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