Small tree between path and water's edge, on south bank of lake LaVerne.
Native to Europe (including
Britain), Northern Asia and northern Africa, the European alder has escaped
cultivation and become naturalized in eastern Canada and the US. Although
commonly found in low, wet, swampy areas (even surviving in water), this
species also performs well in dry sites. It often colonizes waterways by
seeding. With attractive cones and male catkins, this alder is sometimes
planted in Iowa as an ornamental. The native alders, being more disease-prone
and less attractive, have perhaps tainted the reputation of this genus for
landscape use.
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