Alnus viridis Green Alder
This valley was still a glacier in this region around the beginning of the 20th century. After over a century of re-population of the valley slopes, the larger shrubs and trees dominate. There are numerous willows and their hybrids but in the lower reaches nearest the railway and close to the river, the dark, glossy green of the Alnus viridis ( Green Alder) is common. It is a low growing tree with the useful ability to re-generate from a mere stump after being damaged by winter snows but like willows, it prefers damp ground so the majority of plants were seen growing in or near the river gravels.
The flowers (male catkins and female cones) appear after the leaves have appeared as opposed to before in our more familiar Alnus glutinosa (Alder) in the British Isles.
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| Alnus viridis Green Alder |
Morteratsch glacier valley, Engadine, Switzerland
Added on 21st july 2010, updated 30th March 2013