Alnus viridis

Green alder

Family: Betulaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Green alder is a native shrub found in western mountain ranges of California in mixed conifer and subalpine forest habitats. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces small catkin-like flowers in subtle greenish-yellow clusters that emerge with or before its leaves. Growing with multiple trunks up to 8 meters tall, the shrub develops a spreading, multi-stemmed form with smooth gray bark. Its leaves are distinctively ovate with tapered or heart-shaped bases, ranging from narrow to broad, displaying a yellow-green to dark green color with sparse hairs especially along the leaf veins. The shrub is moderately to heavily resinous, giving its foliage a distinctive glossy appearance.

California counties: Del Norte, Humboldt

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.