How do you recognise Green alder (Alnus viridis)?

Leaf

Stefan.lefnaer, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Green alder

Alnus viridis (Chaix) DC.

Also known as: Alpine alder

Family: Betulaceae

1 to 4 m tall, exceptionally up to 8 m

Damp slopes, snowbeds and high-altitude pastures of the Alps, often in dense thickets in the subalpine zone

Flowering: April - June

Full sun

Part shade

Hardy to -30°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

On steep slopes it forms thickets so dense on its own that it is used to stabilise avalanche paths. Common alder is a large riverbank tree with rounded, slightly sticky leaves, whereas green alder remains a low, bushy shrub typical of mountain slopes, with pointed, glossy leaves.

🍃 Leaves

Deciduous, rounded, doubly toothed, bright glossy green above

🌸 Flowers

Hanging yellowish male catkins (4 to 8 cm), smaller upright female catkins, grouped in 3 to 10

🍎 Fruits

Small ovoid woody cones persisting on the branches in winter

🪵 Bark

Grey and smooth, supple shoots forming thickets that are hard to cross

🗺️ Distribution

Mainly the northern Alps (subalpine zone around 2000 m), rarer in the southern Alps, the Massif Central and the Jura

🐝 Value for pollinators

Wind-pollinated; abundant pollen produced from spring

✂️ Horticultural uses

Little used in gardens; mainly planted in the mountains to hold unstable slopes and limit avalanche paths

⚠️ Look-alike species

Green alder

Alnus viridis

Common alder

Alnus glutinosa

Common alder is a large riverbank tree with rounded, slightly sticky leaves, whereas green alder remains a low, bushy shrub typical of mountain slopes, with pointed, glossy leaves.

🌿 Other Betulaceae to discover

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.