Search Fact Sheets Virginia Tech Dendrology

speckled alder Betulaceae Alnus incana ssp. rugosa (L.) Moench ssp. (Du Roi) R.T. Clausen Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: ALINR
Leaf: Alternate, simple, oval, doubly serrated, 2 to 4 inches long, dull dark green above, paler and may be velvety below.
Flower: Species is monoecious; in small clusters, preformed male catkins are 1/2 to 1 inch long, slender and green; females are much smaller, reddish green, open in early spring.
Fruit: Cone-like, 1/2 inch long, brown when ripe, each scale enclosing a very small winged seed, mature in late summer, and persistent
Twig: Moderate, gray-brown to reddish brown, velvety, lighter lenticels, buds stalked, plump and reddish brown.
Bark: Smooth reddish brown with numerous conspicuous horizontal white to light orange lenticels.
Form: Small clumping shrub that reaches 25 feet in height.
 Looks like: thinleaf alder - hazel alder - Sitka alder - green alder

speckled alder leaf image
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speckled alder twig image
speckled alder bark image
speckled alder form image
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Additional Range Information: Alnus incana ssp. rugosa is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database - USDAFS Forest Products Lab
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information