Sitka alder Betulaceae Alnus viridis ssp. sinuata

Leaf:Alternate, simple, deciduous, ovate or oval, variable sized, 2 to 5 inches long, margins are sharply and doubly serrate or slightly lobed and serrated (but not revolute); green to yellow-green above and paler green below; thin and papery.
Flower:Species is monoecious but flowers are borne in unisexual aments (catkins); preformed male aments are long, slender, and pendent; female catkins are small and hang in long clusters from long stalks.
Fruit:A small semi-woody cone 1/2 to 1 inch long, persists through the winter; brown, seeds are tiny winged nutlets, shed in the fall.
Twig:Slender, zig-zag and spreading; orange-brown and sticky when young but turning gray and smooth with age; conspicuous lenticels; buds are slender and pointed with valvate scales, slightly stalked or sessile.
Bark:Gray to grayish green with warty lenticles, otherwise smooth.
Form:A thicket forming erect shrub or small tree, 20 to 40 feet tall and 5 to 10 inches in diameter. Common in avalanche tracks so they are often crooked or leaning.

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