From a botanical point of view, cones are the typical spike-shaped inflorescences of coniferous trees or their fruit containing seeds. However, when you come across a deciduous tree with cone-like fruit in the fall, it's not a scientific discovery of great consequence - instead, you've discovered an alder with fruit not unlike the cones of a conifer.
The black alder has small cones
Many alder species have cone-like fruits
Alder trees (Alnus) are closely related to birch trees (Betula) and are mainly found in wetlands and on the banks of rivers, streams and other bodies of water. Only the black, green or white alders are native to Germany, with the latter sometimes also being referred to as gray alder in the literature. In gardens with a larger garden pond or another body of water, however, non-native species such as the imperial alder or heart-leaved alder are often planted. All species develop cone-like, quite small fruits.
Black Alder
The black alder (Alnus glutinosa) is one of the pioneer tree species, is very fast-growing and quickly conquers fallow areas and damp peripheral areas. Older trees are easily recognized by their black-brown, torn bark.
white alder
The gray or white alder (Alnus incana) is very similar to the black alder in terms of habit, habitat and way of life, but the bark is much lighter. It is also much rarer than the black alder.
Heartleaf Alder
In contrast to the native species, the heart-leaved or Italian alder (Alnus cordata) is often planted in gardens. The tree, which grows to about 20 meters in height, has leathery leaves that are heart-shaped at the base and glossy dark green.
Purple Alder
The Späths alder or purple alder (Alnus x spaethii) is also a popular tree for gardens and parks that grows up to 15 meters high. Its leaves, which are up to 18 centimeters long, are brownish purple when they sprout, dull dark green during the summer months and violet-red when the autumn color sets in late.
Emperor Alder
The imperial alder (Alnus glutinosa 'Imperialis') is a cultivated form of the black alder and develops into a loosely structured tree up to ten meters high with overhanging branches. The delicate leaves have three to four narrow, deeply incised lobes on each side.
tips
The tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), which is related to the magnolia and is a non-native tree that is often cultivated in gardens, forms cone-like aggregate fruits that are six to eight centimeters long.