Alder Sitka- Alnus situate Also known as mountain alder, grows to be about 1-5 meters tall. There are many scientific names for this plant such as: A. sinuata, A. viridus, or A. sitchensis. The bark on Sitka alder is yellowish-brown and scaly. It grows best in moist areas, such as edges of wet meadows, avalanche tracks, and near streams. Sitka alder dominates the shorelines and places where a glacier has recently melted. It can also form dense shrub thickets and take over wet avalanche tracks. Since the branches are so flexible, the snow slides over them without breaking.