Jepson eFlora: Taxon page
Vascular Plants of California
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Alnus viridis
GREEN ALDER


Higher Taxonomy
Family: BetulaceaeView DescriptionDichotomous Key
Common Name: BIRCH FAMILY
Habit: Shrub, tree; monoecious. Stem: trunk < 35 m; bark smooth to scaly, peeling in thin layers or not, lenticels present or not. Leaf: simple, alternate, petioled, deciduous; stipules deciduous; blade ovate to elliptic, generally serrate, generally +- doubly so. Inflorescence: catkin, generally appearing before leaves, often clustered; bracts each subtending 2--3 flowers, 3--6 bractlets. Staminate Inflorescence: pendent, +- elongate. Pistillate Inflorescence: pendent or erect, developing variously in fruit (see key to genera). Staminate Flower: sepals 0--4, minute; petals 0; stamens 1--10; pistil vestigial or 0. Pistillate Flower: sepals 0--4; petals 0; stamens 0; pistil 1, ovary inferior or superior, chambers 2, each 1-ovuled by abortion, stigmas 2. Fruit: achene, nut, winged or not, subtended or enclosed by 1--2 bracts.
Genera In Family: 6 genera, 155 species: generally northern hemisphere; some cultivated.
eFlora Treatment Author: John O. Sawyer, Jr.
Scientific Editor: Thomas J. Rosatti.
Genus: AlnusView DescriptionDichotomous Key


Common Name: ALDER
Stem: trunk < 35 m; bark smooth, gray to brown; twigs glabrous to fine-hairy, red-gray; lenticels small; winter buds stalked, 0--6-scaled. Leaf: glabrous to fine-hairy; blade 3--15 cm, cordate to elliptic or diamond-shaped. Staminate Inflorescence: 5--20 cm; bracts each subtending 3 flowers, 4 bractlets. Pistillate Inflorescence: 5--20 mm; bracts each subtending 2 flowers, 4 fused bractlets. Staminate Flower: sepals 4; stamens 1--4. Pistillate Flower: sepals 0. Fruit: many, in cone-like catkin, not enclosed by bract, winged, bracts 3 mm, woody, persistent.
Etymology: (Latin: alder) Note: Root nodules contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria; wood used for interior finishing, to smoke fish, meats.
Alnus viridis (Chaix) Lam. & DC.
NATIVE
Habit: Shrub. Stem: trunks < 8 m. Leaf: blade narrow- to broad-ovate, base tapered to cordate, tip acute or short-acuminate to tapered, margin +- flat, adaxially yellow-green to dark green, hairs sparse, especially on veins, moderately to heavily resinous. Inflorescence: appearing with or before leaves.
Note: 2 other subspecies in Canada, Europe.
Synonyms: Betula viridis Chaix
Jepson eFlora Author: John O. Sawyer, Jr.
Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange)

Previous taxon: Alnus rubra
Next taxon: Alnus viridis subsp. fruticosa

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Citation for this treatment: John O. Sawyer, Jr. 2012, Alnus viridis, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=12727, accessed on April 18, 2024.

Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2024, Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/, accessed on April 18, 2024.

Alnus viridis subsp. sinuata
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©2007 California Academy of Sciences
Alnus viridis subsp. sinuata
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©2010 Keir Morse
Alnus viridis subsp. crispa
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©2016 Keir Morse
Alnus viridis subsp. sinuata
click for enlargement
©2010 Keir Morse
Alnus viridis subsp. crispa
click for enlargement
©2016 Keir Morse

More photos of Alnus viridis
in CalPhotos



Geographic subdivisions for Alnus viridis:
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map of distribution 1
(Note: any qualifiers in the taxon distribution description, such as 'northern', 'southern', 'adjacent' etc., are not reflected in the map above, and in some cases indication of a taxon in a subdivision is based on a single collection or author-verified occurence).





 

Data provided by the participants of the  Consortium of California Herbaria.
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All markers link to CCH specimen records. The original determination is shown in the popup window.
Blue markers indicate specimens that map to one of the expected Jepson geographic subdivisions (see left map). Purple markers indicate specimens collected from a garden, greenhouse, or other non-wild location.
Yellow markers indicate records that may provide evidence for eFlora range revision or may have georeferencing or identification issues.
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CCH collections by month

Duplicates counted once; synonyms included.
Species do not include records of infraspecific taxa, if there are more than 1 infraspecific taxon in CA.
Blue line denotes eFlora flowering time (fruiting time in some monocot genera).