ALNUS GLUTINOSA. COMMON ALDER,
ALNUS glutinosa, foliis subrotundo-cuneatis obfusis subretusis glutinosis, axillis venarum subtus villosis. Willd.
ALNUS glutinosa. Gcertn. de Fruct. wl. % p. 54. t. 90.f . 2. Willd. Sp. PL ml. 4. p. 334. Decand. Fl. Fr. ed. 3.
ml. 3. p. 303. FI. Gall. Syn. p . 181. Pers. Syn. PI. ml. 2 . p. 550. Ait. Hort. Kew. ed. 2 . ml. 5. p. 258.
BETULA Ainus. Linn. Sp. P i. p. 1394. Hud». Angl. p . 4! & Light/'. Scot. ml. Q.p. 576. With. Bot. A rr. ed. 4.
ml. Q.p. 204. Smith Fl. B r it.p . 1013. Engl. Bot. t. 1508. Roth FI. Germ. ml. 2. p . 476’. Savij degli
Albert della Toscana, p. 49.
ALNÜS foliis glabris, rotundis, rotunde crenatis spongiolis ad nervorum ängulosv Hall. Helv. n. 1630.
ALNUS rotundifolia glutinosa viridis. BauhinPin. p. 428.
ALNUS. Raii Syn.p. 442.
Bohem. Wolsse. Dan. Elletrae. Dut. Ebzeboom. Finland. Leppa. Fr. L ’Aune. Galic. Fearna. Germ. Die
Erie. Hung. Egerfa. It. Ontario-. Kalmuc. Vilcha. Kamtch. Kyscht. Lapl. Leipe. Norw. Older. Pol.
Olsza. Port. Alemo. Buss. Olcha. Span. Aliso. Alamonegro. Swed. Al. Ahl. Tartar. Sere/c. Welsh. Gzoern.
Class and Ord e r . MONOECIA TETRANDRIA.
[N atural Ord er . AMENTACÈÆ. f f Flores monoid. Decand. Juss. LinnJ\
G en . Char. Masc. elongato-cylindrica ; squamæ pedicellatæ cordiforraes, subtus squamulis temis instruct®, basi floriferæ ; stamina
quatuor ex urceolo quadrilobo. Fem. Amenta ovato-globosa, pedicellis ramosis ; squamæ bifloræ ; ovarium compressum ;
stigmata duo ; nucul® compress®, ovat®, nud®, biloculares, disperm®. Decand.
Arbor mediocris, erecta, sed flexuosa; cortice cinereo, rirnoso;
ligno rubro, fragili.
Rami alterni, flexuosi, patentes, cortice fuscescente obtecti, ju niores
glutinosi.
Folia alterna, petiolata, obovato-rotundata, apice valde obtusa,
et non raro emarginata, margine sublobata, undulata, obtuse
serrata, glabra, viscida, venosa, saturate viridia, subtus
pallidiora, nervis prominentibus et ad eorum axillas
villosis.
PedüNCULI florum femineorum e t masculinorum terminales,
ramosi, subtomentosi, fusci; pedicelli tuberculali.
Flores amentacei.
Amenta Masculina bi- tripollicaria, cylindracea, pendula.
P e r ia n t iiium duplex. Calyx squama rufo-fusca, pedicellata,
subtus squamulis ternis instructa, basi triflora. Corolla
quadripartita, segmentis rotundatis.
Stamina quatuor, infra medium coroll® segmentorum inserta.
Filamenta brevia. Anther® rotundato-quadrat®, flav®,
biloculares. Pollen minutum, sphæricum, flavum.
Amenta Foemin ea ovata, obtusa, erecta, bi-trilinearia, corpus
foliaceum monstrosum non raro gerentia, colore pri-
mum intense sanguineo, demum fusco-virescente, postse-
minum lapsus nigricante.
PerIANTHIum simplex. Squamæ ovato-cordat®, dense imbri-
cat®, carnos®, sanguine®, intus basi squamulis binis,
obcordatis, viridibus, primum parvis, demum squamæ
magnitudine instruct®, biflor®.
Ovarium ovatum, compressum. Styli filiformes, squama lon-
giores,
Pericarpium : Nucula ovato-rotundata, compressa, pallide
fusca, stylis persistentibus terminata, bilocularis, loculis
monospermis. Putamen osseum.
Semen loculi fere magnitudine, ovato-oblongum, sub-obliquum,
,pendens, apice lo.culorum afiixum.
I ntegumentüm membranaceum, tenue.
Albumen semini conforme.
Embryo exiguus, prope hilum seminis situs, immersus. Coty-
ledones majuscul®, rotundat®. Radicula parva, ad hilum
seminis versa.
T r e e o f a middle size, erect, but flexuose; the bark ash-coloured,
rimose; the wood red, fragile.
Branches alternate, flexuose, patent, covered with a brown
bark, the younger ones glutinous.
Leaves alternate, petiolate, obovate, rounded, the point very
obtuse and often emarginate, the margin somewhat lobed,
waved, obtusely serrated, smooth, viscid, veined, deep
green, paler beneath, with prominent nerves which at
their axill® are hairy.
P eduncles of the male and female flowers terminal, branched,
somewhat downy, brown; pedicels tuberculate.
F lowers amentaceous.
Male Aments two or three inches long, cylindrical, pendulous.
Pe r ia n t h double. Calyx a reddish-brown pedicellate scale,
beneath having three squamules, tliree-flowered at the
base. Corolla foür7partite, the segments rounded.
Stamens four, inserted below the middle of thé segments of the
corolla. Filaments short. Anthers rotundato-quadrate,
yellow, two-celled. Pollen small, spherical, yellow.
Female Amen t ovate, obtuse, erect, two or three lines long,
often bearing a monstrous leafy excrescence; its colour
is at first sanguineous, then brownish-green, after the fall
of the seeds blackish.
Pe r ia n t h simple. Scales ovato-cordate, densely imbricated,
carnose, sanguineous, within at the base furnished with
two' obcordate green squamules, at first small, at length
as large as the scale, two-flowered.
O vary ovate, compressed. Styles filiform, longer than the
scale.
P e r ica rp an ovato-roundish, compressed, pale-brown nucule,
terminated by the persistent styles, two-celled, cells one-
seeded. Shell hard.
Se ed almost as large as the cell, ovato-oblong, somewhat oblique,
pendent, affixed to the apex of the cells.
I ntegument membranaceous, thin.
Albumen of the same shape as the seed.
Embryo small, situated near the hilum of the seed, immersed.
Cotyledons rather large, roundish. Radicle small, directed
towards the hilum of the seed.
1 . Scale of the male flower. Fig. 2. Ditto, seen in front. Fig. 3. Flower detached. Fig. 4. Anther. Fig. 5. Pollen.
■^?rna^e ament.' Fig. 7. Scale of flower. Fig. 8. Scale, the flower removed to show the squamules. Fig. 9. Scale
of the fruit. Fig. 10 . Ditto, anterior view of, with two capsules and enlarged squamules. Fig. 1 1 . Nucule, vertically cut
open, to show the two cells and the insertion of the seeds. Fig. 12 . The same horizontally cut open. Fig. 13. Seed. Fig. 14.
Ditto, vertically cut open, to show the albumen and the situation o f the embryo. Fig. 15. Embryo. AM more or less magnified.
The genus Alnus was distinguished from Bctula by Tournefort, but united to it by Linn®us and most succeeding authors;
again separated by Gartner; and botanists are now generally satisfied of the propriety of so doing. The most essential' mark of
distinction is to be found in the winged pericarp of Betula and the naked one of Alnus. ■
. j®, common Alder is a tree familiar to the most casual observer, growing frequently by the banks of rivers, in meadows occasions
ly overflowed, and marshy situations; but no where perhaps in greater beauty or luxuriance than in the moist valleys of the
highlands of Scotland. . . ■ ■ .1 «■
Its flowers are amongst the earliest heralds of spring, being frequently expanded in the latter end of February or early in
fa}c ’ are ^ien succeeded by the leaves. The male catkins are found in the autumn, continuing unexpanded during the rigour
or the winter months. ^ 1 o r ® ®
. mo.st evf y . Pait the tree has its uses in the arts or in domestic economy. In Scotland, according to Lightfoot, the leaves
employed in tanning leather and as food for sheep, and in some parts of France they are given dry to the cattle during winter.
ernnl161 IP S Iw l u^cer5 may he healed by them, and Lamarck in his Dictionnaire tells us that a decoction prepared from them is
U K in the cure of sore throats. The bark is very astringent, and is-used by fishermen to stain their nets. With the addition
innpr^^i-1 1<: a - .k t y e’ °? which an ink may be made. Linnreus assures us that the Laplanders extract a dye from the
marl ,£f by 01 cheating it in their mouths till their saliva is deeply tinged with red; with this their shoes, girdles, and all articles
hv ntu- S* IH staine£h The branches serve to make charcoal, and the knots of the trunk are beautifully veined, and are used
®y.cabinet-makers for ornamental work. J
and n«M ° 0<* Wi ’en hfSt ent down is of a fine red colour, but this is not durable: it is much employed by our wheelwrights, turners,
milk areen"^iak®r.s> anc* hy the French in making their sabots (or wooden shoes). In Norway and Iceland, the vessels for holding
wood p m.a e . “ » an<i Linnaus observes, that the milk kept in them gives a larger quantity of cream. But the great value of this
driven :01}sists m tve P1,0Perty if possesses of remaining sound under water for a great number of years, on which account piles
npe ” f wet ?r ^°.SSy g™und are made of it, and it is frequently used for such purposes in Venice and in Holland. Water-
Thp hi 1°,lnie1G‘ « j j l these after lying long buried in a damp situation, are found almost as black as ebony.
ThpnnVi andeis , Scotland make chairs o f the wood, ■which are said to be very handsome and the colour o f mahogany,
and water US m j nieption of the bark as affording a dye for skins; and Pliny speaks of the durability of the wood for piles
ana water-pipes; and also that it was planted by the.sides of rivers to keep the waters within bounds.