Hazel Alder
Alnus serrulata
Hazel alder, or smooth alder, is a thicket-forming wetland shrub of Eastern streambanks and seeps, fixing nitrogen and armoring soil against erosion. Early catkins are among the first pollen of the year.
- Family
- Betulaceae
- Type
- shrub
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 8–20 ft
- Spacing
- 10–18 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- wet, moist
- Soil pH
- acidic, neutral
- Bloom
- February, March
- Bloom colors
- yellow, brown, green
- Wildlife value
- songbirds, larval host, pollinators
- Caterpillar hosts
- ~255 butterfly & moth species
- Landscape uses
- specimen, hedge or screen, rain garden, erosion control
- Native states
- AL, AR, CT, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MO, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV