Abstract
The foreign tree species, Alnus cordata/Loisel./Desf. (Italian alder), (Betulaceae/Loisel./Duby), not previously recorded in the dendroflora of Serbia, is described in this paper. Italian alder trees in an experimental plot in the area of Erdevik, aged 11 years, show good vitality and fast growth, and bear fruits since their 10th year. Tree heights are in range from 10.4 to 16.2 m, and diameters at the breast height range from14.6 to 34.9 cm. The morphological properties of leaves, fruiting organs (?cones?) and male catkins are in concordance with the values in literature sources, although they show great variability. Since the time of plantation establishment, the absolute minimum air temperature in the nearby meteorological station of Sremska Mitrovica was -26.50C, so it can be assumed that the species is frost hardy. On the basis of the researched properties of Italian alder, it can be concluded that this species can be cultivated in Serbia as an ornamental in urban areas and as a fast growing species in forest plantations for biomass production.
Highlights
Genus Alnus Gaertn. (Betulaceae (Loisel.) Duby) contains trees and shrubs distributed throughout northern temperate zone, and in the southern hemisphere from Andes to Argentine and Chile (Tatić and Blečić, 2002)
The plantation was established in the aim of revegetation of the coastal area of the artificial lake Bruje, and it represents an example of individual collector's initiative towards foreign flora gene pool development in Serbia, because Italian alder (Alnus cordata/Loisel/Desf.) was not so far recorded in the present allochtonous dendroflora of Serbia
Tree measurement was performed on 40 dominant Italian alder individuals aged 11 years
Summary
Genus Alnus Gaertn. (Betulaceae (Loisel.) Duby) contains trees and shrubs distributed throughout northern temperate zone, and in the southern hemisphere from Andes to Argentine and Chile (Tatić and Blečić, 2002). In central Italy it is used to a massive scale for the afforestation of poorly drained and wet soils, in agroforestry and for soil erosion control in mountain areas Nowadays it is widely used for the protection of plantations of walnut (Juglans regia L.), sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.), as well as other valuable hardwoods (Shaw et al, 2014). The plantation was established in the aim of revegetation of the coastal area of the artificial lake Bruje, and it represents an example of individual collector's initiative towards foreign flora gene pool development in Serbia, because Italian alder (Alnus cordata/Loisel/Desf.) was not so far recorded in the present allochtonous dendroflora of Serbia. Tree measurement was performed on 40 dominant Italian alder individuals aged 11 years
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