Origin: Europe, Northern Asia
Botanical characteristic: It can be a medium-sized shrub or small tree and reaches 4 meters in height. It has a greyish-green bark and the wood is characterized by lenghtwise ribs. Leaves are obovate with a wrinkled blade, they are shiny green on the upper surface, while on the lower one is glaucous and pubescent beneath. It is a dioecious plant with male and female inflorescences in pendulous catkins on separated plants. The yellow male catkins are showier than the female ones.
Agronomic and environmental characteristics: It grows spontaneously in northern Italy, but rarely. It can be found on moist forests, wetlands, along streams, preferably on acid soils from 200 to 1700 meters above sea level.
Use: It is used to coat moist slopes and river banks or reforest uncultivated moist areas.
