Everything About Wood: Alnus incana DC.

Friday 7 April 2017


Alnus incana DC.	Grey Alder	Betulaceae

Transversal section
Diffuse- and semi-ring-porous. Pores more or less densly packed (with wide variability), in radial multiples and groups, often clustered in earlywood. In proximity of aggregate rays growth ring boundaries more ore less undulating. Diffuse, apotracheal parenchyma. Aggregate rays generally present, sometimes rare. Pith triangular.

Radial section
Scalariform perforation plates with 10 to often more than 20 bars. Rays homogeneous. Ray-vessel-pits relatively small. Generally ibriform fibres, fibre-tracheids rare.

Tangential section
Uniseriate rays, in aggregate rays often 2- to 3-seriate rays. Average ray height: 10 to 25 cells.

Key characters
Diffuse-porous. Radial pore multiples. Aggregate rays. Scalariform perforation plates with 10 up to more than 20 bars.

Remarks
The two species Alnus incana and Alnus glutinosa cannot be differentiated on the basis of their wood anatomy.