The Alder tree has many uses

The topic for today is about plants name Alder. This species of one of the sacred trees of Witchcraft and was a favored tree of the ancient Druids. The leave of this plant are deciduous, simple, alternate and serrated. The flowers are catkins with elongate male catkins on the same plants as shorter female catkins often before leaves appear. These are mainly distinguished by the character that whilst in the Birch the scales constituting the fruit-bearing catkin are thin and fall off simultaneously with the fruit itself. in the alders these scales become thick and woody and remain on the tree as a minute cone after the fruits have been discharged. This tree are usually small in stature but in perfect conditions can reach heights of 70 feet. There are four stages of production on the Alder tree at any given time, the old cones of the previous year's fruiting, the new year's leave or leaf-buds, and the new year's male and female catkins. The roots and knots of this species furnished good material for cabinet makers.

Alder is one of the woods which has of late been to some extend employed for paper-making. A ton of green wood yields three hundred weifht of fiber which bleaches fairly well so as to be suitable for paper of various qualities. Alder acts as both a tonic and astringent. A decoction of the bark is useful to bathe swellings and inflammations especially of the throat and has been known to cure ague. Wow, I like this plant, it has many uses. I wish this can grow here in my country. This tree is known by the fold names : King of the Woods and Scottish Mahogany. This plant usually grow near water as it it more tolerant of stagnant water around it than any other European tree.