Alders Archives - Wonderful Weed Weekly

Alnus glutinosa or Alder
Carpinus betulus or Hornbeam
Corylus avellana or Hazel

These are the 3 other genera all with only one species native on the British Isles, which are also in the Betulaceae or Betula family, like the Birch which I covered in an earlier blog-post!

**A stand of Alder along the brook at Cannock Chase**

Information for this blog is again from various websites, for more information follow the links on the plant names. Green background signifies all sorts of uses, blue background for wildlife and ecological uses and pink background is for medicinal use. Pictures by Matt Summers, otherwise stated.

Carpinus betulus or Hornbeam

Uses to Wildlife
Other Uses
Ornamental Use

Corylus avellana or Hazelnut

Uses for Wildlife
Uses for us
Ornamental Uses:

Showing the very recognizable stems of our native Silver Birch. — The very recognizable stems of the Silver Birch at Cannock Chase

After all the native, short, flowering plants, this time a blog on the native, tall, woody trees called Betulaceae, which includes the main genus, Betula or Birch but also our native Alder, Hornbeam and Hazel belong in this family.

The Betulaceae or Birch Family is number 59 in Stace and has 3 straight native species of Birch as well as several hybrids, subspecies and introduced, ornamental varieties.

The birch is a typical pioneer, which means it can colonize new land very rapidly in the right conditions and can therefore be seen as a weed by some who wouldn’t like them to do this!

But most of us can agree that the Birch tree is very beautiful and hoping for you to learn in the following text that it is also a very useful tree as are its cousins, Alder, Hornbeam and Hazel about which I will tell you more in the second part!

Pictures by Matt Summers unless stated.