Alnus viridis
Fruit bunches of green alder ( Alnus viridis)
The green alder ( Alnus viridis), also known as alpine alder leaves or flop, is a flowering plant in the genus of alder ( Alnus ). It is the only shrub -shaped alder in Europe.
Description
The green alder is a deciduous shrub that can be achieved stature heights of 3 to 6 meters and up to 110 years old. It has a smooth, gray bark, which turns into older age in a blackish bark. The bud is 1.2 to 1.5 inches long, not stalked (as opposed to black, gray and Italian alder), purple, pointed shiny and long. The leaves are oval and cut twice.
From April to June appear unisexual flowers. The male catkins are thick and about 5 to 12 inches long; the female stand upright in clumps to 5-8 and are reddish green and ovate. The approximately 2 by 1.5 inches large seed heads are green in summer, later covered with pale reddish brown and 15 to 20 very small fruit shed; the fruits are hanging until the spring and then almost black.
The green alder reproduces by seed except by root suckers and Absenkern from ground-level branches.
Occurrence
The occurrence is widely scattered from the valley up to a height of 2800 meters in the mountains of Central and Southeastern Europe, the Carpathians and Corsica.
As the site moist slopes, streams and forest edges are preferred.
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It is in the green alder is a pioneer species, which contributes to the security of landslides and slopes threatened. Especially in avalanche-prone northern slopes it forms often the only tree species, as they are well cushion by its flexible branches, the weight of the snow. The green alder grows on bare floor, as it is still present after about landslides, quite good, since it can bind atmospheric nitrogen through a symbiosis with the actinomycete Frankia.
Subspecies
- Alnus viridis subsp. crispa (syn.: Alnus crispa ( Aiton ) Pursh, Alnus crispa var mollis ( Fernald ) Fernald )
- Alnus viridis subsp. fruticosa (syn.: Alnus fruticosa Rupr. )
- Alnus viridis subsp. sinuata ( Syn: .. .. Alnaster sinuatus ( usually ) Czerep, Alnus crispa subsp sinuata (Regel) Hultén, Alnus sinuata (Regel) Rydb, Alnus sitchensis ( usually ) coffin, Alnus viridis sinuata var rule)
- ( Alnus viridis subsp suaveolens ( syn.. Alnus suaveolens ( Req. ) Ball), Corsican Zwergerle )
- Alnus viridis subsp. viridis (syn.: Alnus alnobetula ( Ehrh. ) K.Koch )
Trivial names
More in part only regional common names for the green alder are or were: gree Alder maquis ( Switzerland ), Mountain Thrush ( Switzerland ), alder (Graubünden), Droosle (Bernese Oberland), throttle ( Glarus ), throttle (Graubünden, Glarus ) Drüesa (Upper Allgäu), Laublöke ( Gastein Valley ), Luterstaude (Tyrol near Brixen ), Luttastauden ( Carinthia in Katschtal ) Mauserle ( Austria ), Trosle (Graubünden), Albatross (Graubünden, St. Gallen, Bern ) and Trossstuda (Graubünden Davos ).