Sitka alder • Alnus viridis ssp. sinuata
Top left: shrubby Sitka alder, photo by Julie Mundy. Right: double saw-toothed Sitka alder leaves (top two) compared to blunt-toothed red alder leaves (bottom). Photos by Gillian Harvey and Julie Mundy. Bottom left: smaller female cones, photo by Peter Gibbs. Bottom centre: male catkins, photo by Katy Fulton.
Identification
Sitka alder can be considered a small tree or a coarse shrub with wide branches and trunks. It can be up to 5 m tall. This deciduous tree or shrub has yellow-brown or gray bark, which is often covered in white lichen patches. The leaves are bright green and are the distinguishing feature between Sitka alder and the larger red alder. The margins are doubly saw-toothed, with finely-toothed edges as well as larger, coarser teeth (shallow lobes). Sitka alder flowers grow on catkins: the male catkins are long and dangle from branches, while the female cones are small and develop into woody, egg-shaped cones. Both catkin types are visible in this photo (male catkins are brown, female, just above, is green).
Habitat & Range
This species is associated with moist and open areas, including streambanks, the edges of wet meadows, and avalanche tracks or other disturbed sites. It is usually found at medium to subalpine elevations, though on the Central Coast, Haida Gwaii and north to Alaska, they are found down to sea level. On Calvert Island this species commonly occurs at the interface between beach and forest, usually with Sitka spruce growing slightly further into the forest.
Sitka alder ranges from Alaska and the Yukon and Northwest Territories south through BC and Alberta to Montana and Wyoming, and along the coast to California.
Similar Species
Red alder (Alnus rubra) is similar, except that it is a much larger tree, which grows to 25m tall. It is less shrub-like, even when it is young. The leaves are another way to tell these two species apart, with Sitka alders having much finer-toothed leaves than red alder (see above photos).
Human Uses
Many alder species were used by Indigenous Peoples in various ways across their ranges. The bark of alder was used to produce a red or brown dye for fishnets and cedar bark. The inner bark and juice from the bark was used directly or in ointments to treat skin problems, and the aged bark as a cure for internal ailments including diarrhea and constipation.
The Quileute of Washington ate raw cones to prevent dysentery, and the Klallam of the Olympic Peninsula and southern Vancouver Island chewed catkins as a cure for diarrhea. Other uses included making drinks from leaves, roots and stems to treat various ailments. Alder wood was prized as firewood and usually used for smoking salmon.
Sitka alder in particular may have been used as a fragrance, as it is known for being sticky and sweet-smelling.
Intriguing Info
This species is also referred to by the Latin names Alnus crispa ssp. sinuata, A. sitchensis, and A. sinuata.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/79569-Alnus-viridis-sinuata
Sitka alder can be considered a small tree or a coarse shrub with wide branches and trunks. It can be up to 5 m tall. This deciduous tree or shrub has yellow-brown or gray bark, which is often covered in white lichen patches. The leaves are bright green and are the distinguishing feature between Sitka alder and the larger red alder. The margins are doubly saw-toothed, with finely-toothed edges as well as larger, coarser teeth (shallow lobes). Sitka alder flowers grow on catkins: the male catkins are long and dangle from branches, while the female cones are small and develop into woody, egg-shaped cones. Both catkin types are visible in this photo (male catkins are brown, female, just above, is green).
Habitat & Range
This species is associated with moist and open areas, including streambanks, the edges of wet meadows, and avalanche tracks or other disturbed sites. It is usually found at medium to subalpine elevations, though on the Central Coast, Haida Gwaii and north to Alaska, they are found down to sea level. On Calvert Island this species commonly occurs at the interface between beach and forest, usually with Sitka spruce growing slightly further into the forest.
Sitka alder ranges from Alaska and the Yukon and Northwest Territories south through BC and Alberta to Montana and Wyoming, and along the coast to California.
Similar Species
Red alder (Alnus rubra) is similar, except that it is a much larger tree, which grows to 25m tall. It is less shrub-like, even when it is young. The leaves are another way to tell these two species apart, with Sitka alders having much finer-toothed leaves than red alder (see above photos).
Human Uses
Many alder species were used by Indigenous Peoples in various ways across their ranges. The bark of alder was used to produce a red or brown dye for fishnets and cedar bark. The inner bark and juice from the bark was used directly or in ointments to treat skin problems, and the aged bark as a cure for internal ailments including diarrhea and constipation.
The Quileute of Washington ate raw cones to prevent dysentery, and the Klallam of the Olympic Peninsula and southern Vancouver Island chewed catkins as a cure for diarrhea. Other uses included making drinks from leaves, roots and stems to treat various ailments. Alder wood was prized as firewood and usually used for smoking salmon.
Sitka alder in particular may have been used as a fragrance, as it is known for being sticky and sweet-smelling.
Intriguing Info
This species is also referred to by the Latin names Alnus crispa ssp. sinuata, A. sitchensis, and A. sinuata.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/79569-Alnus-viridis-sinuata
References
Carris, D. C. (2005). Identification, Ecology, Use and Culture of Sitka Alder. Technical Notes, US Dept. of Agriculture, National Conservation Service. Accessed 14/04/2013.
Pojar, J. and MacKinnon, A. (2005). Plants of Coastal British Columbia, Revised. Vancouver, BC: Lone Pine Publishing. P. 92.
Authors and editors of page
Chanda Brietzke and Brian Starzomski (2013).
Carris, D. C. (2005). Identification, Ecology, Use and Culture of Sitka Alder. Technical Notes, US Dept. of Agriculture, National Conservation Service. Accessed 14/04/2013.
Pojar, J. and MacKinnon, A. (2005). Plants of Coastal British Columbia, Revised. Vancouver, BC: Lone Pine Publishing. P. 92.
Authors and editors of page
Chanda Brietzke and Brian Starzomski (2013).