Alnus maximowiczii

Alnus maximowiczii is a deciduous alder in the birch family. It grows as a shrub or a small tree. Its native range covers Japan, Korea, and Russia’s Far East. This includes Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, and the Kamchatka Peninsula. It grows in high mountains, reaching the alpine zone. Plants in these cold, upland sites can stay quite small.

Garden plants can reach about 30 feet [9.14 metres] tall. Their spread can reach about 20 feet [6.1 metres]. Many stay shorter and form dense, branching shrubs. In boreal uplands and subalpine sites, plants may be much smaller. There, heights can range from 3–10 feet [0.9–3 metres]. The leaves are oval to almost round in outline. Fine teeth edge each leaf. Leaves measure about 2.5–4 inches long and 1.5–2.75 inches wide. The plant sheds its leaves for winter.

Flowers appear from May to June in separate male and female catkins. The small flowers have no petals. Female catkins are dark red to maroon and shaped like ellipsoids. They stand upright in clusters and measure about half an inch long. Male catkins have a pale yellow-green colour. The flowers offer little show in the garden. The plant’s dense form gives it value in mixed borders. It can serve there as either a shrub or small tree.

Grow this alder in full sun with an even moisture supply. It does best in gritty or sandy loam that drains well. Yet it also tolerates clay, wet ground, and rocky soils. Its hardiness range covers USDA zones 4–8. Its water needs are moderate, and maintenance needs are low. Woodland gardens and bog gardens are other listed settings. It also fixes nitrogen. These traits give gardeners options beyond a standard mixed border. Its tolerance of wet soil does not mean it needs standing water.

Sap-feeding pests may include alder suckers and woolly alder aphids. Cankers can affect the stems or trunk. Plants For A Future does not flag it as weedy. Its bark provides a dye, though the source gives no colour. The close-grained wood has uses in turnery and charcoal making. No edible or medicinal uses are recorded by that source. It also lists no known hazards. That statement does not establish that every part is safe to eat.