| Formosan alder | |
|---|---|
| |
| Leaves and female infructescences | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fagales |
| Family: | Betulaceae |
| Genus: | Alnus |
| Subgenus: | Alnus subg. Clethropsis |
| Species: | A. formosana |
| Binomial name | |
| Alnus formosana (Burkill) Makino | |
| Synonyms | |
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Alnus formosana, the Formosan alder, is a species of alder endemic to Taiwan. It is a medium-sized tree, up to 20 metres (66 ft) in height and 40 centimetres (16 in) in trunk diameter.
Description
The formosan alder is a trees up to 20 meters in height with dark gray-brown bark. The petiole is 1.2-2.2 cm, slender; leaves elliptic or oblong-lanceolate, rarely ovate-oblong, 6-12 × 2–5 cm, hairy in the axils of lateral veins beneath, almost hairless above, rounded or broadly cuneate base, irregularly minutely serrated margin, acuminate or acute apex; lateral veins 6 or 7 on each side of the midrib. It has one female inflorescence, or 2-4 in a cluster, ellipsoid, 1-2.5 cm; peduncle 3–5 mm.
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Form
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Bark
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Leaves
Distribution and habitat
It is found in Taiwan. It is a common species growing on riverbanks from near sea level to 2,900 metres (9,500 ft). It is commonly found in disturbed habitats as a pioneer species.
Ecology
Alnus formosana flowers between May–June, fruiting between July–September.
Uses
This tree is used for soil improvement. It also finds use in gardens and as a windbreak. The tree trunks is also used in paper pulping and cultivating snow fungus and shiitake.
The Atayal people uses A. formosana as a cover crop after clearing a new field, the traditional wisdom being that the soil becomes rich when it is cut cleared again in 10 to 15 years. It is also used in the Pas-ta'ai ritual of the Saisiyat people.
Early Han settlers of Taiwan name some places after the occurrence of the plant, the belief being that its occurrence is linked to ground collapse.
References
- "Alnus formosana (Burkill) Makino". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanical Gardens Kew. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ Pei-chun Li & Alexei K. Skvortsov. "Alnus formosana". Flora of China. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
- ^ 臺灣樹木解說第參冊 [Taiwan's Trees, Volume 3]. 臺北市: 行政院農業委員會. 1999. p. 20.
- "台灣赤楊" [A. formosana]. kplant.biodiv.tw. Archived from the original on 2020-08-07. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
- COA. "泰雅族傳統「農林混合作業」所蘊含的生態知識──論南澳鄉金洋村的赤楊木栽植(農委會)". www.coa.gov.tw. Archived from the original on 2017-03-28. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
- "矮靈祭". web.chu.edu.tw. Archived from the original on 2017-02-24. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
- "森態資料庫介紹 | 台灣山林悠遊網". recreation.forest.gov.tw. Archived from the original on 2017-03-28. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Alnus formosana |
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| Alnus maritima var. formosana | |