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White Alder
( Alnus rhombifolia )
Alnus rhombifolia
More Photos at CalPhotos
More Info at Jepson eFlora
Calflora
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44 Nurseries Carry This Plant
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About White Alder (Alnus rhombifolia)
44 Nurseries Carry This Plant
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White Alder (
Alnus rhombifolia
) is a member of the Birch family (Betulaceae) native to western North America, from Washington east to western Montana and south to San Diego County, occurring at altitudes of 300-7900 feet. Though not reported from northern Baja California, it has been predicted to occur there on the basis of its climatic adaptation.
White Alder is a medium-sized deciduous tree. Its pale gray bark is smooth on young trees, becoming scaly on old trees.
The flowers are produced in catkins. The male catkins are pendulous, slender, 1 to 4 inches long, yellowish, and produced in clusters of two to seven. Pollination happens in early spring, before the leaves emerge. The tree produces very large amounts of pollen at this time.
The female catkins are ovoid and mature in autumn, superficially resembling a small conifer cone. The small winged seeds disperse through the winter, leaving the old woody, blackish 'cones' on the tree for up to a year after.
Plant White Alders in moist soils or on the edges of permanently wet areas such as streambanks or edges of regularly irrigated area. These trees grow quickly to 20 feet, and then more slowly. The roots can be invasive, so use caution in deciding where to plant. Due to its ultimate size, White Alder may not be appropriate for small residential gardens.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Tree
Size
49.2 - 82 ft tall
35 ft wide
Form
Upright, Rounded, Upright Columnar
Growth Rate
Fast
Dormancy
Winter Deciduous
Fragrance
Fragrant - Pleasant
Flower Color
Green, Cream
Flowering Season
Fall, Summer
Wildlife Supported
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 2
confirmed
, 134
likely
* )
SHOW ALL
Western Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio rutulus
Papilio rutulus
Large Red-belted Clearwing Moth
Synanthedon culiciformis
Synanthedon culiciformis
*
Pale Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio eurymedon
Papilio eurymedon
*
Mourning Cloak
Nymphalis antiopa
Nymphalis antiopa
*
Green Comma
Polygonia faunus
Polygonia faunus
*
Oreas Comma
Polygonia oreas
Polygonia oreas
*
Ceanothus Silkmoth
Hyalophora euryalus
Hyalophora euryalus
Landscaping Information
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade
Moisture
Moderate - High
Summer Irrigation
Keep moist
Nurseries
Carried by 44
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow
Soil Description
Tolerant of sand and clay. Soil PH: 4.0 - 8.0
Common uses
Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens
Companion Plants
Wetland-riparian trees and plants including Maples (Acer spp.), Dogwood (Cornus spp.), Ash (Fraxinus spp.), Walnut (Juglans spp.),
Western Sycamore
(
Platanus racemosa
),
Cottonwood
(Populus spp.), Willow (Salix spp.),
Spicebush
(
Calycanthus occidentalis
), Wild Honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.), Wild Azalea (
Rhododendron
spp.), Wild Currant (Ribes spp.), Wild
Rose
(Rosa spp.), and Wild Grape (Vitis spp.).
Sunset Zones
?
1*, 2*, 3*, 4, 5, 6, 7*, 8, 9*, 10, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19, 22*, 23*, 24*
Natural Setting
Site Type
Usually found in wetland such as permanent stream edges, often adjacent to other vegetation such as chaparral, redwood forest, pine forest, and foothill woodland
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 4.8" - 153.6", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 5.72", Coldest Month: 23.6" - 59.1", Hottest Month: 44.8" - 87.7", Humidity: 0.02" - 38.56", Elevation: -7" - 10807"
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White Alder
Alnus rhombifolia
Sources include:
Wikipedia
. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the
California Consortia of Herbaria
, Sunset information provided by
Jepson Flora Project
. Propogation from seed information provided by the
Santa Barbara Botanical Garden
from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include
CalPhotos
,
Wikimedia Commons
, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include
Calflora
,
CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online
,
Jepson Flora Project
,
Las Pilitas
,
Theodore Payne
,
Tree of Life
,
The Xerces Society
, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from
PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.
Links:
Jepson eFlora Taxon Page
CalPhotos
Wikipedia
Calflora
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