Alnus incana, SE: Gråal, DE: Grau-Erle,
NL: Witte els, UK: Grey Alder, Speckled Alder

Scientific name:		Alnus incana (L.) Moench
Swedish name:		Gråal
German name:		Grau-Erle
Nederlandse naam:		Witte els
English name:		Grey Alder, Speckled Alder
Family:		Betulaceae, Birch Family, Björkväxter

Life form:		Deciduous shrubs, fast-growing but short-lived tree; to 10 m tall, thicket-forming, with open crowns, smooth bark
Leaves:		Elliptic to ovate, 4-11 cm long, 3-8 cm wide, broadest near or below middle, doubly and irregularly toothed, with 9-12 nearly straight, parallel veins on each side, with a ladder-like network of depressed veins, pointed, dull dark green above, pointed
Flowers:		Unisexual catkins, borne separately, but on the same tree (the species monoecious). The seed catkins are cone-like, cylindric to ovoid, 1-2 cm long, erect, sessile or on a short, stout stalk, generally remaining intact after release of fruits in spring. The pollen catkins are elongate, 2-7 cm long, in hanging clusters from near the shoot tip.
Flowering Period:		March, April, May, on bare twig
Habitat:		Woodland, Canopy, Bog Garden

Derivation of the botanical name: Alnus, the classical Latin name. incanus, very gray, hoary. Alder from Middle Englishaller, from Old English alor, from Proto-Germanic aluz, akin to Old Norse ǫlr. speckled in reference to the numerous lenticels covering the bark. The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy. The standard author abbreviation Moensch is used to indicate Conrad Moench (1744 – 1805), a German botanist. The catkins are mainly wind-pollinated, but also visited by bees to a small extent.