Talk:Alder

Black alder
Most of the text transferred to the newly made Black alder page, as it referred to that species in particular, rather than the genus as a whole MPF 18:51, 21 Jan 2004 (UTC)

Photo check
Query for Pollinator - can you check the identity of the photo please? - it looks like a Betula (birch) to me, judging by the female catkins MPF 18:05, 24 Jan 2004 (UTC)


 * I think it's Alnus but I'm not expert enough to be confident. The reasons: 1. Betula nigra is common in this area and well known to me as a tree with peeling bark. I'm pretty sure I would recognize it by the bark. 2. These were all shrubs growing along the edge of a pond with smooth bark. No trees. 3. I've been looking for photos of the bark of other Betula species (which are not so common around here) and it is inconclusive. The date of the photos was March 23, so it's a very early bloom.
 * If it would help any, I would be glad to e-mail you a higher resolution photo, and another which shows the bark much clearer. The bark is smooth reddish brown with large white lenticels. I could also return to the site and get samples for more positive ID. It's not too far from here.
 * Thanks for your work on all these species. I have lots of photos, but little time to research them out....  Pollinator 23:28, 24 Jan 2004 (UTC)


 * Hi Pollinator, Thanks; a hi-res pic would help. Also worth checking the net for other pics; the UConn site usually has some good pics (tho' surprisingly not for Alnus): B for Betula. Betula nigra is very variable in bark texture, young ones can be smooth; otherwise B. alleghaniensis (B. lutea) also has smooth bark. Regards, Michael MPF 23:57, 24 Jan 2004 (UTC)


 * MPF, did you get the hi-res photos? My investigations have me leaning to your POV. I also have another photo, taken earlier in the season, that I think now is more likely to be the tag alder. Should I post this here?
 * Hi Pollinator, Thanks; the new pic is much better! - MPF 15:48, 22 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Frankiella
There appears to be some confusion regarding Frankiella. Some references (such as ) have Frankiella as a synonym of Frankia. According to NCBI, however, Frankia and Frankiella are different organisms (the first is an actinomycete (despite the "-mycete" ending, it's a bacterium, not a fungus); the second is a eukaryote variously classified as a fungus or a protist.).

I don't know about Frankiella, but it seems clear by a Google search (see for instance) that Frankia is present in the root nodules of Alnus spp.. Moreover to my knowledge only some prokaryotes can directly fix atmospheric nitrogen, so I would think that Frankia not Frankiella is the nitrogen-fixing symbiont of the root nodules.

I think therefore that Frankia belongs in the article. Comments ? Tjunier 16:55, 2004 Feb 24 (UTC)

Contradictory sentence
There appears to be some confusion here: "The largest species is Red Alder (A. rubra), reaching 35 m (the tallest is 32 m) on the west coast of North America," If the tallest is 32 meters, how does it reach up to 35? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.207.169.132 (talk) 01:52, 28 December 2008 (UTC)

Picture of alder tree
why isn't there a picture of an alder tree??? pathetic xDD. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.35.112.206 (talk) 02:55, 23 February 2012 (UTC)
 * If you have a photo that you've taken, or can take one, then feel free to upload it and add the file link onto the article. - M0rphzone (talk) 22:40, 3 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Update: ✅ - I've uploaded and added an image. - M0rphzone (talk) 00:51, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

woodcock [timberdoodle] often forage in alder clumps; I have flushed a number of these lovely birds up from among alders over my years of hiking the uplands. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.134.53.64 (talk) 01:10, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

bast as cordage
If I have identified the tree from the bits from the forest floor, the inner bark is excellent for making cordage, a subject little attended to. Aptitude Design 80.13.8.21 (talk) 16:14, 4 July 2015 (UTC)

The Map?
The map looks a bit suspect wrt the northern limits or the lack there of. Just saying. 84.250.167.86 (talk) 17:43, 17 June 2021 (UTC)