Origin: Europe, West Asia, North Africa
Botanical characteristics: It is a medium size tree, it can reach 20 m in height and it has a conical and oval head. Leaves are dark green with toothed margin and obovate sheet, truncate base and bidentate or truncate top. On the underside the leaves have yellow hairs on the origin of secondary veins. It is a monoecious plant, the male and female flowers are separated. The female inflorescences are composed of 3-8 catkins, followed by ovoid infructescenses, which are 1-2 cm long. In winter, they become woody and persist on the plant. Bark is greenish-brown, shiny, with horizontal lenticels.
Agronomic and environmental characteristics: It lives throughout the Italian territory, along the river banks or peaty asphyxiating soils up to 800 meters above sea level. It prefers moist soils. It is a pioneer plant, which colonizes the banks of rivers and streams.
Use: It is used for reforestations along the water courses, for the consolidation of embankments, for hedgerows in the lowlands and for the improvement of fertility. It is recommended as an ornamental plant.
