The Italian alder (Alnus cordata)is a native Italian plant and it is located mainly in areas such as the l´Apennino campano and Calabro-Lucano. The alder is a genus of plant of the family Betulaceae.
The alder trees are generally of small size. They grow up to 8-10 meters, exceptionally can they reach 25-30 meters. The rapid growth of the alders and their resistance to unfavorable conditions have made it common to use the tree within bioremediation (such as recovery of mining sites and burnt areas).
The genus Alnus comprises thirty species, including the alder, which is an endemic species that grows in the wild only in southern Italy and Corsica, where it is forming extensive forests.
The wood of black alder have for its remarkable water durability been used for the construction of the foundations of the city of Venice. Nowadays the tree produces a timber that is used for carpentry work: left outdoors deteriorates rapidly while it is very durable if it remains submerged in water, for this reason is used for water projects and for poles to be immersed in water.
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Chen, Zhiduan and Li, Jianhua (2004). Phylogenetics and Biogeography of Alnus (Betulaceae) Inferred from Sequences of Nuclear Ribosomal DNA ITS Region. In: «International Journal of Plant Sciences»