Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Friday - January 20, 2006
From: Edmonton, AB
Region: Canada
Topic: Propagation
Title: Information on propagating alder (Alnus crispa) from seed or cuttings in Alberta, Canada
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
What do you know about propagating alder (Alnus crispa) from seed or cuttings? I'm involved in a small stream side revegetation project in central Alberta, Canada.ANSWER:
The current accepted name for green alder, Alnus crispa, is Alnus viridis ssp. crispa. You can read more about it in the Native Plants Database.Since we are not in the native range of Alnus viridis here at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, we don't have hands-on experience propagating it. We can, however, refer you to some good resources. There is an excellent description of the of propagation of green alder from seed on the SaskPower Shand Greenhouse web page. Also, Dr. Michael Dirr, in his book "Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagaion and Uses" (1998, Ball Publishing) calls for 90 days cold stratification for Alnus crispa seeds. To accomplish this you can put the seeds into a plastic bag with vermiculite or sand that is slightly moistened and store in the refrigerator.
An article from the Pacific Northwest Cooperative Extension Service,"Propagating Deciduous and Evergreen Shrubs, Trees, and Vines with Stem Cuttings", shows step-by-step instructions for propagating from stem cuttings and lists the alders, Genus Alnus, as a candidate for the procedure. However, an article from AllRefer.com says Alnus viridis ssp. sinuata stem cuttings seldom, if ever, produce roots.
More Propagation Questions
Adding Wildflowers to Corpus Christi
May 20, 2012 - I have a dry sandy yard, full sun in Corpus Christi with lot's of stickers mostly, want to transform to wildflowers. When should I plant, how should I prepare soil, should I dig out stickers? Which w...
view the full question and answer
Wildflowers after controlled burn in New Braunfels, TX
February 19, 2009 - I live in the Hill Country a few miles north of New Braunfels. As soon as we get enough rain to lift our burn ban, I will be thinning out some of my Ashe juniper and will do some burning in the open ...
view the full question and answer
Can two species of Muhlenbergia be cross-pollinated from Portal AZ
July 17, 2012 - Will Muhlenbergia lindheimeri (Big Muhly) cross-pollinate with Muhlenbergia porteri (Bush Muhly)? I am attempting to restore the grasslands on my private property to a pre-1900 state. Bush Muhly was a...
view the full question and answer
Pollinating Pawpaws
February 06, 2013 - We have many good sized pawpaw trees in our area but they never bear any fruit. I've checked them at different times in the fall over the years but no fruit. Someone told me that the flowers were po...
view the full question and answer
Transplanting birdwing passionflower in Canyon, TX
April 17, 2009 - First, thank you for all your help! Second, I have two bird-wing passionflowers that are growing next to the house. I'd like to move them because this is the area where I want to put in some raise...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |