Formosan alder
Leaves and female infructescences
Scientific classification Edit this classification
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
Synonyms
  • Alnus maritima (Marshall) Nuttall var. formosana Burkill
  • Alnus japonica (Thunberg) Steudel var. formosana Callier

Alnus formosana, the Formosan alder, is a species of alder endemic to Taiwan.[1] It is a medium-sized tree, up to 20 metres (66 ft) in height[2] and 40 centimetres (16 in) in trunk diameter.[3]

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.[2]

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).[2] It is commonly found in disturbed habitats as a pioneer species.[3]

Ecology

Alnus formosana flowers between May–June, fruiting between July–September.[2]

Uses

This tree is used for soil improvement.[3] 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.[4]

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.[3][5] It is also used in the Pas-ta'ai ritual of the Saisiyat people.[6]

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.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Alnus formosana (Burkill) Makino". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanical Gardens Kew. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 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.
  3. 1 2 3 4 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.
  4. ↑ "台灣赤楊" [A. formosana]. kplant.biodiv.tw. Archived from the original on 2020-08-07. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ "矮靈祭". web.chu.edu.tw. Archived from the original on 2017-02-24. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  7. ↑ "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.
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