Classification of alder trees
What type of tree is alder?
Alders are trees comprising the genus Alnus in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus comprises about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few species extending into Central America, as well as the northern and southern Andes.
What are the characteristics of an alder tree?
Physical description. An alder may be distinguished from a birch tree by its usually stalked winter buds and by conelike structures that remain on the branches after the small winged nutlets are released. The scaly bark is grayish brown in some species and almost white in others.
What family is alder wood?
Betulaceae, the birch family, includes six genera of deciduous nut-bearing trees and shrubs, including the birches, alders, hazels, hornbeams, hazel-hornbeam, and hop-hornbeams numbering a total of 167 species.
Is alder a deciduous or conifer?
Common alder is a deciduous tree species. Its large, deep green leaves are easily recognised by their blunt tips.
What is another name for alder?
Alder synonyms
In this page you can discover 4 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for alder, like: willow, alder tree, hawthorn and birch.
Is alder a hardwood or softwood?
hardwood
How Hard Is Alder Wood? Alderwood is one of the softest woods in the hardwood family, just above pine and poplar. It has a bending strength (in PSI) of 9,800, making it pliable but relatively soft. These properties make it an excellent option for cabinetry, bedding, and other decorative furniture inside the home.
Is alder evergreen or deciduous?
deciduous tree
The alder is also the only native deciduous tree to have tiny cones. Alder is monoecious, which means that both male and female flowers are found on the same tree. They take the form of catkins that appear in early spring, between February and April, usually before the leaves.
What are alder trees good for?
What is Alder Wood Used For? Most of the higher grade lumber is used for furniture, cabinetry, and turned products. Alder is also used in doors, millwork, decorative woodwork, carvings, and edge-glued panels. Alder dries to an even honey tone and can be finished to resemble more expensive fine-grained species.
Are alders gymnosperms?
These look like cones, but alder is a flowering plant, an angiosperm not a cone-bearing gymnosperm like a pine. Last year’s strobili, their seeds now either shed into the wind or stolen by birds.
What does an alder tree symbolize?
There is a strong symbolism connected to the Alder tree including strength, protection, determination and confidence. The tree is a sign of safety and protection. It is believed to have the ability to protect and hide people in times of danger.
What are alder trees good for?
What is Alder Wood Used For? Most of the higher grade lumber is used for furniture, cabinetry, and turned products. Alder is also used in doors, millwork, decorative woodwork, carvings, and edge-glued panels. Alder dries to an even honey tone and can be finished to resemble more expensive fine-grained species.
How can you tell an alder from a birch?
Alder has yellow-green, racquet-shaped leaves with indented tips and finely serrated edges. They are alternately arranged on the branches. Birch has oval or elliptical leaves with pointed tips and toothed margins. They are greenish-yellow on the upper side, and light-green on the bottom side.
Do alder trees have deep roots?
The root system of red alder is shallow and spreading where limited by poor drainage; a deep-root system develops on soils with better drainage. The range of red alder extends from southeastern Alaska (lat 60°N) to southern California (lat 34°N), generally within 125 miles of the ocean.
Which is harder alder or oak?
Oak is harder than Alder. Both Alder and oak are hardwoods. But both red oak and white oak are harder, denser, and stronger than Alder wood.
Are alder trees good for the soil?
Alder (Alnus glutinosa) is the most common tree in wetland forests, and it improves soil fertility through its ability to fix nitrogen from the air.
Is alder wood toxic?
Allergies/Toxicity: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, alder in the Alnus genus has been reported to cause eye, skin, and respiratory irritation. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.
Is alder a cheap wood?
Alder is a soft wood with a simple, straight grain. It can be stained to simulate many other types of wood or painted with a smooth finish. The cost for alder doors, whether for cabinets or doorways, is about mid-way between inexpensive pine and expensive hardwoods.
What is the hardest wood in the world?
1. Australian Buloke – 5,060 IBF. An ironwood tree that is native to Australia, this wood comes from a species of tree occurring across most of Eastern and Southern Australia. Known as the hardest wood in the world, this particular type has a Janka hardness of 5,060 lbf.
Is alder good firewood?
Alder produces 17.5 million BTUs per cord.
Alder firewood burns fast but creates a relatively hot fire and leaves behind decent coals. The fast-burning pace causes alder firewood to be favorable in the fall and spring when outside temperatures are moderate.
Is alder wood rot resistant?
Rot Resistance: Red Alder is rated non-durable to perishable regarding decay resistance, and freshly cut logs should be quickly converted into lumber and dried to prevent staining or decay in the wood. Workability: Red Alder is very easy to work with both hand and machine tools; it sands especially easy.
Is alder wood water resistant?
Alder wood is resistant to rotting in water. The trees do not like ground that is regularly disturbed or trodden, but the wet soil deters most disturbance anyway.
What wood is closest to alder?
Alder, Rustic Alder, Select Alder
A fine-grained hardwood similar to cherry, birch, and maple.
What wood lasts the longest outdoors?
Teak. Teak is the king of durable, outdoor woods. It’s extremely rot resistant, reasonably dense and straight-grained, will not warp or crack over time, and has an attractive appearance.