မိုင်းဘော

Myanmar Name –  Mai-baw

Common Name – Nepalese alder

Botanical Name – Alnus nepalensis D.Don

Family Name – Betulaceae

Habitat – Asia – southern central China, northern India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam.

Habit – Deciduous Tree growing to 22 m (72ft 2in) at a fast rate.; branchlets glabrous, spreading, winter buds stalked

Bark – dark green or grey, often with yellowish patches and short, raised lenticels.

Leaves – Leaves alternate, elliptical, ovate to oblong, 6-21 cm long, 4-10 cm wide, entire, denticulate or sinuate, shallowly crenate to subentire, rounded or cuneate at the base, with 12-16 pairs of lateral veins, top surface dull or shiny dark green, under surface pale with dotlike, yellow-brown scales; petiole strong.

Inflorescence – Male catkins grow in drooping bunches at the ends of branchlets and are 10-25 cm long; female catkins are 1-2 cm long and arise from the axils of the leaves.

Flower – The male flowers are 10 to 25 cm (4 to 10 in) long and pendulous, while the female flowers are erect, 1 to 2 cm (0.4 to 0.8 in), with up to eight together in axillary racemes.

Fruit And Seed – – Fruit: the fruiting catkins resemble cones. They are dark brown, 1.5-2 cm long, upright on short stalks, elliptical and with woody scales. The empty catkins persist on the tree. Seed: light brown, circular, flat nut, with membra- nous wing.

Flowering and Fruiting Time – Flower from September to October, fruiting from November to December.

Usage – Firewood, interior utility wood, plywood, boxes, crates, and turned items.