Look for speckled alder along streams and rivers, and in marshy areas in the upper Midwest and eastern North America. It is a small tree with leaves that are both finely serrated and coarsely toothed. The bark is smooth and gray, and the female catkins are cone-like, becoming woody and remaining on the branches throughout the year. Speckled alder could be confused with smooth alder (with a range extending farther south, and leaves that are very finely serrated and not toothed), as well as green alder (with leaves that are shiny and sticky on their undersides). The western North American version of this tree species is thin-leaf alder.

Mycorrhizal mushrooms associated with speckled alder include Laccaria longipes, milky cap species, and species of Russula, among others. Saprobes include Callocybe fallax, Pholiota limonella, Pluteus leucoborealis, and others.

streamsides and marshy areas are favored locations for speckled alder

bark is brown when young . . .

. . . maturing to gray and smooth, with blisters

female catikins become woody and cone-like

leaves are both finely serrated and broadly toothed . . .

with shiny upper surfaces. . .

. . . and dull, paler under surfaces with rusty hairs along the veins

Kuo, Michael (August, 2022). Alnus incana rugosa (speckled alder). Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.com website: www.mushroomexpert.com/trees/alnus_incana_rugosa.html

All text and images © , mushroomexpert.com.