Cut Leaved Alder - branches, twigs & male flowers / catkins in the sun - February 2021

Alnus glutinosa Imperialis is a finely cut-leaved version of the common Alder, Alnus glutinosa which won the Award of Garden Merit in 2002.

This beautiful tree has delightfully well cut leaves, given them an almost fluffy appearance, with the bright green colour of the foliage contrasting well against the blue sky during the summer months.

There are very few trees seen in the UK that have such densely cut, soft look to them. Despite giving a highly ornamental look, being part of the Alder family, Alnus glutinosa Imperialis is actually well suited to wet and damp soils.

It is therefore an interesting choice for this use compared to some of the more common offerings of Poplar and Willow

There are not many of these interesting trees about in Exeter, which is a shame as they have such distinct leaves and pretty catkins. They can tolerate fairly wet soil conditions like most members of the Alder family.

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Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Betulaceae
Subfamily: Betuloideae
Genus: Alnus