Sitka alder Betulaceae Alnus viridis ssp. sinuata (Chaix) DC. ssp. sinuata (Regel) A. Löve & D. Löve   symbol: ALVIS
	Leaf: Alternate, simple, deciduous, ovate or oval, variable sized, 2 to 5 inches long, margins are sharply and doubly serrate or slightly lobed and serrated (but not revolute); green to yellow-green above and paler green below; thin and papery. Flower: Monoecious; but borne in unisexual aments (catkins); preformed male aments are long, slender, and pendent; female catkins are small and hang in long clusters from long stalks. Fruit: A small semi-woody cone 1/2 to 1 inch long, persists through the winter; brown, seeds are tiny winged nutlets, shed in the fall. Twig: Slender, zig-zag and spreading; orange-brown and sticky when young but turning gray and smooth with age; conspicuous lenticels; buds are slender and pointed with valvate scales, slightly stalked or sessile. Bark: Gray to grayish green with warty lenticles, otherwise smooth. Form: A thicket forming erect shrub or small tree, 20 to 40 feet tall and 5 to 10 inches in diameter. Common in avalanche tracks so they are often crooked or leaning.
	USDAFS Additional Silvics - USDA Plants Database Alnus viridis ssp. sinuata is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. See states reporting Sitka alder (opens a new window).