Alnus nitida

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Alnus nitida
Botanical illustration
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Betulaceae
Genus: Alnus
Species:
A. nitida
Binomial name
Alnus nitida
Synonyms[3]

Clethropsis nitida Spach

Alnus nitida, called the west Himalayan alder, is a species in the genus Alnus, native to Pakistan, the western Himalayas, and Nepal.[3] It is a tree reaching 20 to 25 m, preferring to live along the banks of rivers. It is used locally for timber and firewood, and as a street tree.[4] The bark is used in some places for tanning and dyeing purposes.[5] It grows well in heavy, clay soils and tolerates infertile soils.[6] The leaves are thin, oval to ovate, 3-6 inches long and 2-3 inches wide.[7] Female flowers appear first, followed by male catkins in September to October, which may be up to 19 centimeters long.[5] The fruits are woody cones, typically 2.5-3.5 cm long.[8]

This tree may be attacked by the apple stem borer (Trirachys holosericeus).[9]

In some places, the bark is used as an anti-inflammatory. One study examined its chemical components and concluded it has antioxidant potential.[10]

References

  1. ^ Shaw, K., Roy, S. & Wilson, B. (2014). "Alnus nitida". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T194659A2356455. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T194659A2356455.en. Retrieved 3 May 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Gen. Pl., Suppl. 4(2): 20 (1847)
  3. ^ a b "Alnus nitida (Spach) Endl". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  4. ^ Khan, Muhammad Khalil Ullah; Muhammad, Noor; Uddin, Nisar; Ali, Niaz; Umer, Muhammad; Ullah, Shariat (2020). "Genetic diversity in threatened plant species Alnus nitida (Spach.) Endel". Plant Science Today. 7 (3): 314–318. doi:10.14719/pst.2020.7.3.759.
  5. ^ a b "Alnus nitida in Flora of Pakistan @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  6. ^ "Alnus nitida - Useful Temperate Plants". temperate.theferns.info. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  7. ^ "Alnus nitida - Trees and Shrubs Online". treesandshrubsonline.org. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  8. ^ "Fact Sheet: Alnus nitida". idtools.org. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  9. ^ "Alnus nitida (West Himalayan alder)". www.cabi.org. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  10. ^ Sajid, Moniba; Khan, Muhammad Rashid; Shah, Naseer Ali; Shah, Sayed Afzal; Ismail, Hammad; Younis, Tahira; Zahra, Zartash (2016-08-03). "Phytochemical, antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects of Alnus nitida bark in carbon tetrachloride challenged Sprague Dawley rats". BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 16 (1): 268. doi:10.1186/s12906-016-1245-3. ISSN 1472-6882. PMC 4972964. PMID 27488054.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: PMC format (link) CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)