The alders, which are widely distributed in the Northern Hemi- 

 sphere and in the Andes, include about 20 species of shrubs or 

 small to fair-sized trees belonging to the birch family (Betulaceae). 

 Alrius is the ancient Latin name for alder. The male ( pollen - 

 bearing) and female (fruiting) flower clusters are borne separately 

 on different .parts of the same branch. The male flower clusters, 

 usually formed during the preceding season, expand in the spring 

 into pendulous, cylindrical catkins, 2 to 6 inches long. The female 

 flower parts are borne in shorter, modified catkins, which develop 

 into distinctive small, woody, persistent cones, bearing numerous 

 very small, flat "seeds" between their thickened bracts. The cones 

 are green at first but become brown when mature and, late in the 

 season or early in the following spring, the scales open and liberate 

 the seedlike nutlets. The leaves, which are shed in autumn and 

 usually while still green, are rather coarse, conspicuously straight- 

 veined, the veins running almost parallel from the midrib to the 

 toothed edges of the leaves. The floral characteristics and foliage 

 of the range species of alder are fairly similar, and mountain alder 

 ( A. tenuifolia) has been selected as a representative species to illus- 

 trate the group. 



Alders are widely distributed throughout the western range coun- 

 try, but their occurrence is restricted to moist or wet sites. They 

 commonly grow along streams or inhabit river bottomlands, swamps, 

 wet meadows, bogs, seeps, and moist slopes, ranging from sea level 

 to subalpine situations. In some localities they occur in abundance, 

 occasionally forming dense almost impenetrable thickets in meadows 

 and on mountain sides. 



The palatability of alders is generally low or only fair for live- 

 stock but, due to their wide distribution and local abundance, they 

 are sometimes an important secondary constituent of the forage 

 crop. In the Rocky Mountain region, the Southwest and Intermoun- 

 tain region, alders are usually rated as poor forage for all classes 

 of livestock, although in California and the Northwest they rank 

 up to fair, or in a few localities fairly good. Alder is usually 

 slightly less palatable for cattle than for sheep and goats. Cattle 

 usually make the greatest use of these plants, however, because they 

 are more apt to concentrate where alders grow ; moreover, the leaf- 

 age is often inaccessible to the smaller animals, but can be more 

 readily reached by cattle. 



Game animals utilize the leaves, twigs, and buds of alder with 

 slight to moderate relish, maximum use coming in the fall, winter, 

 and early spring. Both deer and elk prefer the leaves and twigs 

 of the suckers and sapling plants, but often utilize the older plants 

 rather extensively during severe winters. The bark of alder along 

 with that of willows, aspen, and other hardwoods is used by beaver 

 for food; those industrious animals also utilize the stems in build- 

 ing their houses and dams. In Alaska and the far North, the alders 

 are often an important browse for moose and furnish some feed for 

 reindeer, 1 



1 Hadwen, S., and Palmer, L. J. EBINDBEB IN ALASKA. U. S. Dept. Agr. Bull. 1089, 

 74 pp., illus. 1922. 



