Montane alder (Alnus maximowiczii) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

Montane alder is a small tree or shrub native to East Asian mountains. In spring, it bears hanging clusters of male flowers and smaller female flowers with bright red tips. The seed clusters mature into small woody cones.

Appearance

Growth form: It is a shrub or small tree in its native range; exposed mountain sites can keep it short.
Leaves: The broad leaves have pointed tips, often with a shallow heart-shaped base and uneven teeth.
Flowers: Pollen droop, while smaller seed-bearing flowers carry bright red tips.
Fruit: The seed clusters ripen into small woody cones.

Look-alikes

Drooping alderAlnus pendula

Drooping alder (Alnus pendula) has narrow leaves with many closely spaced side veins and clusters of little cones that hang down. Montane alder has broader leaves, often with a shallow heart-shaped base.

Why they get mixed upBoth East Asian alders appear in U.S. tree collections.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: mountain slopes in East Asia
tree collections in the U.S.
Range: It is native to Korea, Japan, and the Russian Far East. In the United States, it is grown in botanical collections rather than occurring as a native tree.

Name and classification

About the name: It was once called Alnus crispa subsp. maximowiczii. It is also called Maximowicz's alder.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: DDData DeficientNot enough data yet to assess

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