Alder

Alder
Temporal range:
Common alder (Alnus glutinosa)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Betulaceae
Subfamily: Betuloideae
Genus: Alnus
Mill.
Type species
Alnus glutinosa
(L.) Gaertn.
Synonyms
Genus synonyms
  • Betula-alnus Marshall
  • Duschekia Opiz
  • Alnaster Spach
  • Clethropsis Spach
  • Semidopsis Zumagl.
  • Alnobetula (W.D.J.Koch) Schur.
  • Cremastogyne (H.J.P.Winkl.) Czerep.

Alders are trees of the genus Alnus in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus includes about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few species extending into Central America, as well as the northern and southern Andes.