Family: birches (Betulaceae)
Flowering time: March–April
Size: up to 25 m
Habitat: banks of water, wetlands and damp forests
Black alder (Alnus glutinosa) is a tree with reddish-brown, and in old age blackish bark, that blossoms before leafing. The flowers are unisexual, which means that in one flower only pistils develop, in the other only stamens. Because male and female inflorescences are developed on the same plant, we call black alder a monoecious plant. The tip of its oval to rounded leaves is blunt or incised (notched), and the leaf margin is finely tooth-edged. Hairless leaves, which are green on both sides, are markedly sticky in youth. Also the young, cone-like fruits are sticky.
Black alder grows on moist, nitrogen-rich soils throughout Slovenia. Because of its high tannin content it is useful in tanning; the substances it contains also soothe inflammations and help in wound healing.
