People take black alder for bleeding, sore throat, fever, swelling, constipation, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer. Alnus glutinosa - European alder or Black alder Description. The egg-shaped leaves have serrated edges and distinct veins. The leaves grow in an alternating pattern along the stem. A central vein runs down the center of the leaf and a series of side veins run from the central vein to the outer edge, angled toward the leaf tip. Possible diseases affecting the Black Alder include canker and powdery mildew. The name black alder comes from the use of its tannin-rich bark to produce black dye. Black alder is a typical water-demanding species because its leaves have no mechanism for controlling transpiration (Braun, 1974). Under water, the wood is very durable; some of the wooden structures that Venice is built on are black alder trunks. identify European Black Alder. It produces small, pale flowers whose nectar is consumed by a range of insects. The American basswood is also known as the American linden tree. In Germany, Herbst et al. Alder aphids, lace bugs, flea beetle, and leaf miner are … The leaves will remain on the tree well into the fall. It can spread aggressively. This tree is best used in sites that have poor soil or low-lying wet areas. The flowers are segregated by sex into separate catkins, the reddish-purple female ones developing into hard cones that contain the seeds. The bark and leaves are used to make medicine. Black alder is native to Europe, but is an invasive tree species in many countries outside Europe. The Black Alder may sucker and form dense thickets. Black alder is a tree. The European alder is a loose to well-branched medium-sized deciduous tree that lives in Central Europe at altitudes of 1.200 meters (4000 ft) and in the Engadin sporadically also at altitudes up to 1.800 meters (5900 ft) can be found. The foliage remains green until it drops from the tree in fall. Young leaves feel sticky when touched but become smoother with age. Black alder (A. glutinosa) is a deciduous tree up to 80 feet high; the alternate leaves are round-obovate, usually doubly serrate, scalloped, and have a tuft of down on the underside. Unlike cherry tree leaves, which have a slight sheen, basswood leaves have a dull, matte texture. The leaves are rich in nitrogen and add additional nitrogen to the soil as they decompose. The leaves are usually up to 13 cm long, and 5-8 cm wide with raised veins on the underside. Other animals feed on the tree's leaves and bark. (1999) demonstrated that evapotranspiration in a black alder stand is equal to total annual rainfall. Leaves provide another method of alder tree identification.