it is a shrub 2 - 4 m high, sometimes as a tree up to 7 m
it has a smooth, grey bark
on older branches and trunk, a peeling cork tissue is formed, characteristic for the surface of the bark similar to the common hazel (Corylus avellana)
Buds
they are built in a spiral, conical, 4 - 8 mm large, angular on the sides, bluntly pointed
covering scale is one, brown, hairy, later bare
leaf scar is horseshoe- shaped (embraces the entire bud)
leaf scar after the appendages is clear
Shoots
they are greenish-gray to greenish-brown
smooth, dull, bare, hairy only in the armpits of the buds
Leaves (assimilation organs)
they are simple, short-petiolate, oblong-lanceolate, widest in the upper third, considerably variable in shape
they are serrated along the edge, often wavy to completely marginal
top is dark green, matte
underside is light to bluish-green with protruding reticulate veining
young leaves are reddish, silky hairy
the addentulates are distinctive, kidney-shaped, toothed, perennial
Flowers
it is a dioecious tree species
flowers are catkins
it blooms V - VI - before, or simultaneously with foliage
Fruits – seeds
the fruit is a capsule
the seed is a fluffy achene
Extension
Central and South-Eastern Europe
the mountains of the Sudeten region, the Balkan Peninsula and the Carpathians
in Slovakia, it is most abundant in the High Tatras and in the Bukovské Hills in the subalpine zone from 600 to 1,650 (2,000) m above the sea level.
Ecology
mountain illuminated forests, stream banks up to the mountain pine zone
it grows well on humous, moist, stony to sandy soils
it requires rather alkaline to slightly acidic soils
Significance
it is a pioneer and ameliorative woody plants
it is a tree species of mountain streams and springs
