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Trees

Alnus glutinosa 'Laciniata'

alder 'Laciniata'

A large, often multi-stemmed deciduous tree seen along river banks. It has leathery green leaves which are deeply indented between the veins making slender lobes. These have no autumn colour and fall green. It bears deep red, upright catkins which give it a red glow in winter. The tiny female flowers develop into clusters of long-lasting wooden cones

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Ultimate height

Higher than 12 metres

Time to ultimate height

20–50 years

Ultimate spread

Wider than 8 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Poorly–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or North–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Exposed or Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Betulaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: Yes
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Columnar upright, Spreading branched
Genus: Alnus are vigorous deciduous trees and large shrubs with rounded leaves and often conspicuous catkins in winter
Name status: Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Needs good light, permanently damp soil but very little fertility as they have nitrogen-fixing nodules on their roots. They are used for river bank stabilisation and other land reclamation purposes

Propagation

Grow from seed or hardwood cuttings

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Architectural
Banks and slopes

Pruning

Pruning group 1

Pests

May be susceptible to alder sucker and leaf-mining sawflies

Diseases

May be susceptible to Phytophthora and honey fungus

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