106 ECONOMIC BOTANY OF ALABAMA 



only from the Choctawhatchee River near Geneva (but to be ex- 

 pected also on the Pea and Chattahoochee), and in 13 from Burnt 

 Corn Creek and the Conecuh River near Brewton. 



Betula lenta, L. (Chkrrv, or Black) Birch. 



In Alabama usually a small tree, scarcely more than a shrub, 

 but Mr. Harl)ison found it growing to considerable size in a gorge 

 in Jackson County. Farther north, where it is commoner and 

 larger, the wood is used for furniture and various other purposes. 

 An oil, similar to if not identical with oil of wintergreen, is dis- 

 tilled from the bark and twigs, in the mountains of North Carolina 

 and elsewhere, and a kind of beer is said to have been made from 

 the fermented saj) of the tree. This species is also cultivated to 

 some extent for ornament. 



This species seems to grow only in places pretty well protected 

 from fire. In Alabama it is found mostly on sandstone cliffs at 

 tops of mountains. 



2A. "Winston County, rocky banks of Sipsey Fork, 1,600 feet"'* above 

 sea-level (Mohr). Gorge on northwest side of Sand Mountain near Pis- 

 gah, Jackson County (Harbison). Northern brow of Chandler Mountain, 

 St. Clair County. 



4. Rocky summits of tlie Blue Ridge, Cleburne, Clay and Talladega 

 Counties. 



ALNUS, Gaertner. Thk Alders. 



Alnus rugosa (DuRoi) Koch. {A. scrntlafa, A\t.) 



(Common) Aldkr. 



A common large deciduous shrub, l)looming in January and 

 February, being one of our earliest spring flowers. The stems are 

 sometimes three or fotu" inches in diameter, and have been used 

 for fuel and charcoal. The bark has astringent ])roperties, and is 

 sometimes used in dyeing, and for diarrhoea and impurities of the 

 blood. The shrub is recfjmmended for ]:)lanting along streams on 

 private estates, and can be bought from some northern nursery- 

 men. 



Grows m(jstly along branches and creeks, not much along 

 rivers except where they are small and do not fluctuate much, or 

 where spring water seeps out along their banks. It is probably 



*This altitude seems to be considerably exaggerated, but there are no 

 topographic maps of Winston County yet, except the extreme southern edge. 



