Alnus glutinosa | Common Alder

Native to the UK and most of Europe, the Alnus glutinosa is a large, fast-growing tree that thrives in most moist soil and will grow in wet ground near rivers, marshes and streams. It has large, racquet-shaped, dark green and leathery rounded leaves with serrated edges. This is one of the last trees to drop its leaves in autumn. The catkins appear early, from February to April, and the yellow males are 2-6cm long in contrast to the females that are green and oval-shaped in groups of three to eight on each stalk. Female catkins become woody cone-like fruits in autumn and winter when they open to disperse their seed. The Alnus glutinosa has a broadly pyramidal habit, the bark is dark and fissured and often covered in lichen. The leaf stalks and young leaves are sticky to the touch. This is a tough, adaptable tree that also grows in drier conditions, and is of great value to wildlife.