''Alnus formosana'', the Formosan alder, is a species of

alder Alders are trees comprising the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus comprises about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few sp ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...

. It is a medium-sized tree, up to in height and in trunk diameter.

Description

The formosan alder is a trees up to 20 meters in height with dark gray-brown bark. The petiole is 1.2-2.2 cm, slender; leaves elliptic or oblong-lanceolate, rarely ovate-oblong, 6-12 × 2–5 cm, hairy in the axils of lateral veins beneath, almost hairless above, rounded or broadly cuneate base, irregularly minutely serrated margin, acuminate or acute apex; lateral veins 6 or 7 on each side of the midrib. It has one female inflorescence, or 2-4 in a cluster, ellipsoid, 1-2.5 cm; peduncle 3–5 mm.

Distribution and habitat

It is found in Taiwan. It is a common species growing on riverbanks from near sea level to . It is commonly found in disturbed habitats as a

pioneer species Pioneer species are hardy species that are the first to colonize barren environments or previously biodiverse steady-state ecosystems that have been disrupted, such as by wildfire. Pioneer flora Some lichens grow on rocks without soil, ...

Ecology

''Alnus formosana'' flowers between May–June, fruiting between July–September.

Uses

This tree is used for soil improvement. It also finds use in gardens and as a windbreak. The tree trunks is also used in paper pulping and cultivating

snow fungus ''Tremella fuciformis'' is a species of fungus; it produces white, frond-like, gelatinous basidiocarps (fruiting bodies). It is widespread, especially in the tropics, where it can be found on the dead branches of broadleaf trees. This fungus is c ...

and

shiitake The shiitake (alternate form shitake) (; ''Lentinula edodes'') is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is now cultivated and consumed around the globe. It is considered a medicinal mushroom in some forms of traditional medicine. T ...

. The

Atayal people The Atayal (), also known as the Tayal and the Tayan, are a Taiwanese indigenous people. The Atayal people number around 90,000, approximately 15.9% of Taiwan's total indigenous population, making them the third-largest indigenous group. The pr ...

uses ''A. formosana'' as a cover crop after clearing a new field, the traditional wisdom being that the soil becomes rich when it is cut cleared again in 10 to 15 years. It is also used in the Pas-ta'ai ritual of the Saisiyat people. Early Han settlers of Taiwan name some places after the occurrence of the plant, the belief being that its occurrence is linked to ground collapse.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3926595 formosana Endemic flora of Taiwan Trees of Taiwan Plants described in 1899