The open plant encyclopedia
Snap a photo or search by any name to see how to care for it, where it comes from, whether it's safe, and a 3D model you can turn.
The plants people record most in your country, and ones that grow there wild.
Filter by what you want to do, shape, origin, country, care and safety.
Alnus nepalensis
Also called Nepal Black Cedar, Himalayan Alder, Indian Alder, Nepalese Alder, Nepali Alder
Alnus nepalensis is a large alder tree found in the subtropical highlands of the Himalayas. The tree is called Utis in Nepali and Nepalese alder in English. It is used in land reclamation, as firewood and for making charcoal.
It occurs throughout the Himalaya at 500–3000 m of elevation from Pakistan through India, Nepal and Bhutan to Yunnan in southwest China. It grows best on deep volcanic loamy soils, but also grows on clay, sand and gravel. It tolerates a wide variety of soil types and grows well in very wet areas. It needs plenty of moisture in the soil and prefers streamside locations, but also grows on slopes.
The tree grows quickly and is sometimes planted as erosion control on hillsides and for land recovery in shifting cultivation. It has nodules on the roots which fix nitrogen. The wood is moderately soft. It is occasionally used for making boxes and in light construction but is mainly used as firewood, when it burns evenly but rather rapidly, and for making charcoal. Currently, this tree species is preferred by different indigenous ethnic groups such as H'mong, Nung and Thu Lao in Simacai district, Lao Cai province, Northern Vietnam to regreen and enrich the forest by local knowledge (SPERI, CENDI).
Andean Alder · Green Alder · Italian Alder · Alnus cremastogyne · Japanese Green Alder · Formosan alder · Common Alder · Manchurian Alder · Grey Alder · Japanese alder · Evergreen alder · Iberian Alder
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Alnus nepalensis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
