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White alder

Alnus rhombifolia

Also called California alder, Mountain Alder, Rhombie Leaf Alder

White alder
Photo: US NPS Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area [2], Public domain

White alder is a medium-sized deciduous tree of western North America, usually found along streams and in moist riparian woodland. It is grown mainly for habitat, erosion control and shade, and is not a common garden or houseplant.

Family
Betulaceae (Birch family)
Grows as
Tree
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Keeps moist soil; thrives where roots reach a steady water supply, such as near streams.
Soil
Moist, well-drained loam or gravelly alluvial soil.
Temperature
Hardy to roughly -20 °C; tolerates cool to warm temperate climates.
How easy
Easy
Native range
W. U.S.A. to Mexico (N. Baja California)
Climate
temperate

About

Alnus rhombifolia, the white alder, is an alder tree native to western North America, from British Columbia and Washington east to western Montana, southeast to the Sierra Nevada, and south through the Peninsular Ranges and Colorado Desert oases in Southern California. It occurs in riparian zone habitats at an elevational range of 100–2,400 metres (330–7,870 ft). While not reported in northern Baja California, it has been predicted on the basis of its climatic adaptation to occur there also. Alnus rhombifolia is primarily found in the chaparral and woodlands, montane, and temperate forests ecoregions.

Other Alnus plants

Italian Alder · Common Alder · Grey Alder · Himalayan Alder · Red Alder · Alder

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Alnus rhombifolia by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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