History of Rare Plants

...surrounded the leaves, somewhat more oblong in order than in the common kind, yet just as wrinkled. I was still growing a single shrub of it that exceeded human height when I departed from Frankfurt in 1593; but it had not yet given a specimen of any fruit: indeed, not even in the year 1595, although it had grown to a great height, as he to whom I had left the tree upon departing wrote to me.

ALDER, CHAP. VIII.

Betula alnus, L. v. c.?

Common Alder.
Woodcut illustration of Alnus vulgaris (Common Alder) showing a thick trunk with a visible root system and branches bearing broad, serrated leaves and catkins.

Alnus incana Willd. h. 335?

The Other Alder.
Woodcut illustration of Alnus altera (Grey Alder) showing a more slender growth habit, branches with pointed, serrated leaves, and numerous catkins.

Cornus mascula, L. lam. 2. 113?

Cornus mas L. ... 111?

Cornel.
Woodcut illustration of a Cornus (Cornelian cherry/Dogwood) tree, showing a trunk with roots and branches containing oval leaves and clusters of berries.

Betula incana, L. Lam. 1, 455?

The Alder is of such common knowledge that, since its history has been set forth by all writers of botanical matters, it might seem superfluous to make mention of it here. However, because I observe that as many as have given its history have recognized but a single kind of it, I thought I would be doing something worthwhile if I were to set forth here those things which I have observed concerning this plant.

THAT COMMON one is quite familiar in all the provinces (at least those which I have visited), and is called Aulne by the French, Erlnbaum by the Germans, Alno by the Italians, Aliso by the Spaniards, Egör fa by the Hungarians, and κλήθρα by the Greeks.

But the mountains of Austria and Styria nurture another kind, near rivers and in damp places; it is also frequent in the islands of the Danube around Vienna, mixed with the other: it rises up just as the first one does. The bark of this one is whiter, the leaves are indeed similar to the other and just as wrinkled, yet somewhat smaller, not shining on the upper side as in the first kind, but whitening on the underside: the catkins and cones are also smaller than in the common kind, and the tender branches and young leaves are sprinkled with no sticky moisture, as in the former. The difference between the two is also well known to the peasants of those provinces: for they call the first kind Schwartz erln, that is, Black Alder; and this one Weiss erln, that is, White Alder. The bark of this one seems to possess a more cooling and astringent faculty with dryness than that of the common kind.