alnus cordata
{{short description|Species of plant}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Alnus cordata alder tree.jpg
|parent = Alnus subg. Alnus
|taxon = Alnus cordata
|authority = (Loisel.) Duby
|range_map = Alnus cordata range.svg
|range_map_caption = Distribution map
|synonyms=*Betula cordata Loisel.
- Alnus rotundifolia Bertol.
- Alnus neapolitana Savi
- Alnus cordata Desf., invalid, no description nor basionym reference
- Alnus cordifolia Ten.
- Alnus obcordata C.A.Mey. ex Steud.
- Alnus macrocarpa Req. ex Nyman
- Alnus nervosus Dippel
}}
Alnus cordata, the Italian alder,{{Cite web|url=https://powo.science.kew.org/?name_id=6294|title=Plants of the World Online | Kew Science|website=Plants of the World Online|access-date = 10 February 2025}}{{BSBI 2007 |access-date=17 October 2014 |df=dmy-all}} is a tree or shrub species belonging to the family Betulaceae, and native to the southern Apennine Mountains (Campania, Basilicata and Calabria, mainly on western mountain sides) and the north-eastern mountains of Corsica.{{cite journal|last=Gamisans|first=J.|year=1983|title=L'Aulne à feuilles en coeur Alnus cordata (Loisel.) Loisel. dans son milieu naturel en Corse|journal=Revue forestière française|issue=3|page=187|publisher=AgroParisTech|location=Nancy|doi=10.4267/2042/21651|hdl=2042/21651|language=fr|doi-access=free}} It has been introduced in Sicily, Sardinia, and more recently in Central-Northern Italy,{{cite book|last1=Caudullo|first1=G.|last2=Mauri|first2=A.|year=2016|chapter-url=http://forest.jrc.ec.europa.eu/media/atlas/Alnus_cordata.pdf|chapter=Alnus cordata in Europe: distribution, habitat, usage and threats|editor-last1=San-Miguel-Ayanz|editor-first1=J.|editor-last2=de Rigo|editor-first2=D.|editor-last3=Caudullo|editor-first3=G.|editor-last4=Houston Durrant|editor-first4=T.|editor-last5=Mauri|editor-first5=A.|url=http://forest.jrc.ec.europa.eu/european-atlas-of-forest-tree-species/|title=European Atlas of Forest Tree Species|publisher=Publications Office of the European Union|location=Luxembourg|page=62}}{{cite journal|last=Camarda|first=I.|year=1982|url=http://eprints.uniss.it/3339/1/Camarda_I_Articolo_1982_Note.pdf|title=Note su alberi e arbusti della Sardegna|journal=Bollettino della Società Sarda di Scienze Naturali|volume=21|pages=323–331|language=it}}{{cite web|last=Cambria|first=Salvatore|website=Flora e Vegetazione della Sicilia|url=http://cambriasalvatore.wix.com/flora-della-sicilia#!alnus-cordata-loisel-duby/c1s97|title=Alnus cordata (Loisel.) Duby|access-date=15 July 2016}} other European countries (France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, United Kingdom){{cite iucn|last1=Shaw|first1=K.|last2=Wilson|first2=B.|last3=Roy|first3=S.|year=2014|title=Alnus cordata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014|doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T194657A2356349.en|doi-access=free}} and extra-European countries (Chile, New Zealand), where it has become naturalised.
Description
It is a medium-sized tree growing up to {{convert|25|m|ft|-1|abbr=in}} tall{{cite book|first=Keith |last=Rushforth |trans-title=Pocket Guide to Trees | title=Bäume |language=de |location=Bern |publisher=Hallwag AG |orig-year=1980 |year=1986 |edition=2nd |isbn=978-3-444-70130-6 |page=91}} (exceptionally to {{convert|28|m|ft|-1|abbr=in|disp=or}}), with a trunk up to {{convert|70|-|100|cm|in|-1}} in diameter.
The leaves are deciduous but with a very long season in leaf, from April to December in the Northern Hemisphere; they are alternate, ovate or circular-ovate shaped,Villani, F., Castellana, S., Beritognolo, I., Cherubini, M., Chiocchini, F., Battistelli, A., & Mattioni, C. (2021). Genetic Variability of Alnus cordata (Loisel.) Duby Populations and Introgressive Hybridization with A. glutinosa (L.) Gaertn. in Southern Italy: Implication for Conservation and Management of Genetic Resources. Forests, 12(6), 655. cordate at base, rich glossy green, {{convert|5|-|12|cm|in|abbr=in|frac=8}} long, with a finely serrated margin.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} The bark is smooth with greyish brown colour. The trees' large leaf areas are partly due to their long tree tops. Fall arrives usually around the end of November, and the leaves don't change from their original green color. The colorful foliage may last till mid-December in certain years.{{Cite journal |last1=Bobinac |first1=Martin |last2=Jorgić |first2=Đura |last3=Bauer-Živković |first3=Andrijana |last4=Šušić |first4=Nikola |last5=Andrašev |first5=Siniša |date=2020-10-27 |title=Growth and structure of italian alder (Alnus cordata /Loisel./ Duby) linear plantation at age 11 and 16 years at Fruška gora (Serbia) |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.31298/sl.144.9-10.2 |journal=Šumarski list |volume=144 |issue=9–10 |pages=462–463 |doi=10.31298/sl.144.9-10.2 |issn=1846-9140}}
The slender cylindrical male contain 5 - 6 catkins,{{Citation |title=Alnus Cordata, Italian Alder |date=2014-01-23 |work=The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland |pages=949–951 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781107252813.084 |access-date=2024-01-20 |publisher=Cambridge University Press|doi=10.1017/cbo9781107252813.084 |isbn=978-1-108-06935-9 |s2cid=253615865 }} pendulous, reddish and up to {{convert|10|cm|in|0|abbr=in}} long; pollination is in early spring, before the leaves emerge. The female catkins are ovoid, when mature in autumn {{convert|2|-|3|cm|in|abbr=in|frac=8}} long and {{convert|1.5|-|2|cm|in|abbr=in|frac=8}} broad, dark green to brown, hard, woody, and they develop into pseudo-cones. The small winged seeds disperse by wind and through the winter they ripen, turning from green to dark brown colour, and they open the following spring.
It has three natural growing shapes. 1) Along rivers with room to grow and plenty of water one base will often give rise to four to six stems, which fan out at some ten degrees from vertical. 2) In open meadows near rivers, marshy ground and flooding can cause trees to angle or tilt over, whereupon over a matter of seasons they grow natural bends to return the upper trunk to vertical. It is not uncommon to find cordatas with S shapes arising from two tilting events. 3) In groves of multiple trees they grow thinner and straighter, such that a grove of a 100 trees can be an excellent renewable source of straight timber good for woodwork.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}
Subspecies
Cultivation
Like other alders, it is able to improve soil fertility through symbiotic nitrogen fixation with the bacteria Actinomyces alni (Frankia alni).{{cite journal|author1=Ducci, F.|author2=Tani, A.|title=Italian alder - Alnus cordata|journal=EUFORGEN Technical Guidelines for Conservation and Use|date=2009|url=http://www.euforgen.org/fileadmin//templates/euforgen.org/upload/Publications/Technical_guidelines/1370_Italian_alder__Alnus_cordata_.pdf|access-date=2016-10-19|archive-date=2016-08-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811032417/http://www.euforgen.org/fileadmin/templates/euforgen.org/upload/Publications/Technical_guidelines/1370_Italian_alder__Alnus_cordata_.pdf|url-status=dead}} It thrives on much drier soils than most other alders, and grows rapidly even under very unfavourable circumstances, which renders it extremely valuable for landscape planting on difficult sites such as mining spoil heaps and heavily compacted urban sites. It is commonly grown as a windbreak which helps with soil protection.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}{{Cite book |last=Caudullo, G. |first=Mauri |title=Alnus cordata in Europe: distribution, habitat, usage and threats. |publisher=Off. EU, Luxembourg |year=2016}}
Alnus cordata is regarded as a desirable candidate for bioremediation due to its presence in an ecosystem being associated with beneficial effects such as increased amounts of organic carbon and nitrogen-rich litter.{{Cite journal |last1=Villani |first1=Fiorella |last2=Castellana |first2=Simone |last3=Beritognolo |first3=Isacco |last4=Cherubini |first4=Marcello |last5=Chiocchini |first5=Francesca |last6=Battistelli |first6=Alberto |last7=Mattioni |first7=Claudia |date=June 2021 |title=Genetic Variability of Alnus cordata (Loisel.) Duby Populations and Introgressive Hybridization with A. glutinosa (L.) Gaertn. in Southern Italy: Implication for Conservation and Management of Genetic Resources |journal=Forests |language=en |volume=12 |issue=6 |pages=655 |doi=10.3390/f12060655 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2021Fore...12..655V |issn=1999-4907}}
Alnus cordata has gained The Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.{{cite web|title=Alnus cordata AGM|url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/894/Alnus-cordata/Details|publisher=The Royal Horticultural Society|access-date=14 March 2020}}
=Bonsai=
The Italian Alder makes a medium to large bonsai, a quick grower it responds well to pruning with branches ramifying well and leaf size reducing quite rapidly.{{cite web | first=Mark | last=D'Cruz | title=Ma-Ke Bonsai Care Guide for Alnus cordata | date=20 March 2020 | publisher=Ma-Ke Bonsai | url=https://www.makebonsai.com/post/italian-alder | access-date=2021-02-04}}
Other uses
Researchers analyzed the phenolic composition of the stem bark of A. cordata, they were able to determine that its components were similar to those of skin-whitening and antioxidant properties. Because these qualities are antioxidant-rich, they can be safely used to treat skin diseases through their bleaching capabilities.{{Cite journal |last1=Smeriglio |first1=Antonella |last2=D'Angelo |first2=Valeria |last3=Denaro |first3=Marcella |last4=Trombetta |first4=Domenico |last5=Raimondo |first5=Francesco Maria |last6=Germanò |first6=Maria Paola |date=September 2019 |title=Polyphenol Characterization, Antioxidant and Skin Whitening Properties of Alnus cordata Stem Bark |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cbdv.201900314 |journal=Chemistry & Biodiversity |language=en |volume=16 |issue=9 |pages=e1900314 |doi=10.1002/cbdv.201900314 |pmid=31397975 |s2cid=199506894 |issn=1612-1872}}
The tree also produces valuable reddish-orange wood. It breaks down when exposed to alternating dry and damp air, but is highly durable when kept wet or dry. As demonstrated in the construction of Venice, when immersed in water it lasts for centuries. Also when used within condensation-free, temperature and humidity controlled buildings it has a reputation for maintaining a smooth and naturally shiny finish. The timber is liked by carpenters and used for turning and carving, for moulding, furniture, panelling and plywood.
ItalAlder.jpg|Foliage and immature male catkins
ItalAlderFruit.jpg|Female (seed) catkins
References
{{Reflist|2}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- [http://www.euforgen.org/species/alnus-cordata/ Alnus cordata] - distribution map, genetic conservation units and related resources. European Forest Genetic Resources Programme (EUFORGEN)
- {{CalPhotos|Alnus|cordata}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1543689}}
Category:Plants described in 1810
Category:Garden plants of Europe