Changes

*Andean alder, Andes alder, alder (En). *Aulne des Andes, aune des Andes, aulne d’Amérique (Fr).

*Deciduous medium-sized tree up to 30(–40) m tall; bole cylindrical, up to 50(–100) cm in diameter; bark surface smooth and grey in young trees, but becoming scaly and ridged with age; crown narrow, dense; young twigs glandular hairy, branchlets with lenticels and conspicuous rounded scars from fallen leaves. *Leaves alternate, in 3 rows, simple and entire; stipules ovate to elliptical, 4–8 mm × 1–1.5 mm; petiole (4–)7–23(–35) mm long; blade lanceolate, ovate or elliptical, thinly leathery, (3.5–)5.5–14(–19) cm × (2–)3–9(–10.5) cm, cuneate to obtuse or rounded at base, long-acuminate to rounded at apex, margin toothed, glandular hairy, pinnately veined with 10–15 pairs of lateral veins. *Inflorescence a many-flowered catkin; male catkin elongate, pendulous, 5–11 cm long, flowers arranged in groups of 3 in bract axils; female catkin ovate or elliptical, 3–6 mm × 1.5–3 mm, flowers arranged in groups of 2 in bract axils. *Flowers unisexual, minute; male flowers 4-merous, with elliptical or obovate perianth segments c. 1.5 mm long, stamens opposite and basally adnate to perianth segments, 2.5–4 mm long; female flowers consisting of a 2-celled ovary with a 2-branched style. *Fruit an elliptical to obovate, winged nut 1.5–3 mm long, dark brown, in cone-like, ovoid to ellipsoid infructescence 1–3 cm × 1–1.5 cm. *Seedling with epigeal germination; cotyledons leafy, spreading; first 2 leaves opposite.