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Speckled Alder, Alnus rugosa (Du Roi) Spreng.
Corylaceae

Similar in habits to A. Crispa (mountain alder) but often attains heights of 3.5 m or more.

Twigs: Smooth, or somewhat hairy, reddish-brown, with scattered white lenticels. Older stems are smooth and brownish.

Buds: Blunt-tipped, dark reddish-brown, stalked and have two scales.

Leaves: Alternate and shaped like those of A. Crispa. Dark green, hairless and wrinkled above, whitened and dull, often somewhat hairy beneath. Main veins beneath are brown and hairy. Margin is double-toothed and often undulating. 10 or more pair of veins to each leaf. Cross veins are prominent beneath, joining to form a ladder-like pattern.

Flowers: Like those of A. Crispa. Both male and female catkins are exposed in winter. Blooms in April or May before the leaves expand.
Fruit: Small, wingless nutlets borne in ‘cones’ similar to those of A. Crispa.

Habitat: Wet places – swamps, stream margins and other low-lying areas. Not as widely distributed as A. Crispa in Newfoundland; absent from Avalon Peninsula and Northern Peninsula. In Labrador occurs mostly in central forested areas ranging as far north as 55 degree latitude.

Source: Native Trees and Shrubs of Newfoundland and Labrador
By A. Glen Ryan
Parks and Natural Areas Division
Department of Environment and Conservation
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador 1995
Used with permission.