Arizona Alder
Alnus oblongifolia
Photographed along Pinto Creek in Gila Co., Arizona, about 8 km from its confluence with the Salt River/Lake Roosevelt.
Skelotonized by Chysomelid Beetle larvae.
LEAVES: Deciduous, toothed, simple leaves are alternate on the stem.
Veining is prominent.
RANGE: In the Sonoran Desert of Arizona this tree grows only along
permanent waterways and then only at the upper elevations of what is generally
considered the Sonoran Desert. Uncommon.
TREE: A medium-sized tree with smooth gray bark. Boles generally
straight. The roots host the nitrogen-fixing actinomycete Frankia.
FLOWERS: Small, green in short catkins in early spring.
FRUIT:Overlapping papery scales of the catkins give the appearance of a
small cone.
UNARMED
Oblong-elyptic leaf.