Ontario Trees & Shrubs website

Green Alder
Alnus viridis

Other common names: Mountain Alder

French names: Aulne crispé

Family: Birch Family (Betulaceae)

Group: Alders

Distinctive features: Shrub

Similar species:
  •   European Black Alder (Alnus glutinosa) - leaves are indented at the tips, roundish.

  •   Speckled Alder (Alnus incana) - leaves are double-toothed.

  •   Alder-leaved Buckthorn (Rhamnus alnifolia) - not an Alder.


Flowers: Spring

Leaves: Alternate, Simple, Toothed

Habitat: Fields and Open Areas, Wet Areas;  Wet areas; also gravelly or rocky areas.

Books: Trees in Canada: 304   

Native/Non-native: Native

Status: Common.

Notes: Easily confused with the other Alders.

Origin and Meaning of Names:
 Scientific Name: viridis: green


Photographs: 71 photographs available, of which 10 are featured on this page. SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTOGRAPHS.

Range Map is at the bottom of the page

Green Alder (Alnus viridis)

Upper side of a leaf. Note the small teeth. The leaf is not double-toothed like those of Speckled Alder (Alnus incana).

The leaf is somewhat pointed.

Green Alder (Alnus viridis)

Underside of the same leaf.

Green Alder (Alnus viridis)

Upper side and underside of a Green Alder leaf.

Green Alder (Alnus viridis)

Leaves.

Green Alder (Alnus viridis)

For comparison, here are the leaves of the three Alders:
-Green Alder (Alnus viridis) (L)
-Speckled Alder (Alnus incana) (M)
-European Black Alder (Alnus glutinosa) (R).

Green Alder (Alnus viridis)

Seed catkins.

Green Alder (Alnus viridis)

Some Green Alder alongside a road in the north (James Bay Road website, Quebec).

Green Alder (Alnus viridis)

Green Alder (Alnus viridis)

A less typical Green Alder leaf.

Green Alder (Alnus viridis)

Bark and trunk of a Green Alder shrub.


Range map for Green Alder (Alnus viridis)

PLEASE NOTE: A coloured Province or State means this species occurs somewhere in that Province/State.
The entire Province/State is coloured, regardless of where in that Province/State it occurs.

(Range map provided courtesy of the USDA website and is displayed here in accordance with their Policies)