Smooth Alder Alnus serrulata Smooth Alder Betulaceae. Tips of branches bearing long, dangling catkins with abundant yellow pollen, and small, upright, reddish stigmas are a hallmark of early spring.
Fruit is a hard, upright cone-like structure that lasts through winter.
Found along edges of streams. Photographed at Lake Carasaljo Municipal Park. Last Year's Fruit, Pistillate Flowers, Staminate Flowers.