Thicket/ Black Alder

COMMON NAME: Black Alder

OTHER COMMON NAME(S): European Alder

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Alnus glutinosa

FAMILY: Betulaceae

COMMUNITY: Thicket

STATUS: Naturalized, Native of Eurasia and Africa  

LIFESPAN: Woody Shrub

HEIGHT: 70 feet

FLOWERING TIME: March - May

FRUITING TIME: Early October

DISTRIBUTION: Newfoundland to Florida ~ Found in isolated sites through north Jersey, Ocean county and Island Beach State Park in New Jersey ~ Grows in damp and wet areas

IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS: Tree with full rounded crown ~ erect dark-barked trunk ~ Leaves oval, dark green, gummy, toothed ~ Fruit (cones) long slender ~ Male and Female tree has catkins—Yellowish male catkins are produced in the fall and purplish female catkins are produced in the spring and give the tree a purplish appearance ~ Dark berry

GENERAL INFORMATION: This family (Betulaceae) is commonly called the Birch family. Trees in this genus (Alnus) have bark and berries that yield red dyes.  Children chew on the buds to make brown saliva. The young stems are also gummy. Wooster Beech (1794-1868), founder of the Eclectic healing movement, used a decoction (boil plant part to extract active ingredient) of the bark to “purify the blood”.  The astringents (tannins) in Black Alder are most often employed as mouthwash and gargle for tooth, gum and throat problems.  The drying action of a decoction of the bark helps to contract mucous membranes and reduce inflammation.  In Spain, alder leaves are smoothed and placed on the soles of the feet to relieve aching. In some versions of the Classical legend of the death of Hercules, the hero is cremated on an Alder-wood pyre at the midsummer solstice, and his remains are floated away down a river on an Alder-wood boat. The association of Alder with fire is reinforced by the fact that it is very resistant to decomposition in water, and has been widely used to construct aqueducts and building foundations in marshy areas and places liable to flooding.   Early houses discovered in the archaeology of Europe, which were located on the margins of lakes, were built on Alder piles. It was also employed traditionally in the manufacture of buckets used to carry liquids.

Please note: While harvesting wild berries/fruit is permitted at Island Beach State Park, visitors must adhere to park regulations at all times and must not damage vegetation or go off designated trails.  This information is presented for educational purposes.