View source for Alnus rhombifolia

{{Treatment/ID
|accepted_name=Alnus rhombifolia
|accepted_authority=Nuttall
|publications={{Treatment/Publication
|title=N. Amer. Sylv.
|place=1: 49. 1842
|year=1842
}}
|common_names=White alder;California alder
|special_status={{Treatment/ID/Special_status
|code=E
|label=Endemic
}}
|basionyms=
|synonyms={{Treatment/ID/Synonym
|name=Alnus rhombifolia var. bernardina
|authority=Munz & I. M. Johnston
}}
|hierarchy=Betulaceae;Betulaceae subfam. Betuloideae;Alnus;Alnus rhombifolia
|hierarchy_nav=<div class="higher-taxa"><div class="higher-taxon"><small>family</small>[[Betulaceae]]</div><div class="higher-taxon"><small>subfamily</small>[[Betulaceae subfam. Betuloideae]]</div><div class="higher-taxon"><small>genus</small>[[Alnus]]</div><div class="higher-taxon"><small>species</small>[[Alnus rhombifolia]]</div></div>
|volume=Volume 3
|mention_page=
|treatment_page=
}}<!--

--><span class="statement" id="st-undefined" data-properties=""><b>Trees,</b> to 35 m; trunks often several, crowns spreading, open. <b>Bark</b> light gray, smooth, becoming darker and breaking into scales in age; lenticels inconspicuous. <b>Winter</b> buds stipitate, ellipsoid to obovoid, 3–9 mm, apex rounded; stalks 3–5 mm; scales 2, equal, valvate, sometimes incompletely covering underlying leaves, moderately to heavily resin-coated. <b>Leaf</b> blade narrowly elliptic to rhombic, rarely ovate, 4–9 × 2–5 cm, base cuneate to rounded, margins flat, finely serrate or serrulate, sometimes slightly lobed, without noticeably larger secondary teeth, apex acute or obtuse to rounded; surfaces abaxially sparsely pubescent to villous. <b>Inflorescences</b> formed season before flowering and exposed during winter; staminate catkins in 1 or more clusters of 3–7, 3–10 cm, stamens 2, or 4 with 2 reduced in size; pistillate catkins in 1 or more clusters of 2–6. <b>Flowering</b> before new growth in spring. <b>Infructescences</b> ovoid to nearly cylindric, 1–2.2 × 0.7–1 cm; peduncles 1–10 mm. <b>Samaras</b> broadly elliptic, wings narrower than body, irregular in shape, leathery.</span><!--

-->{{Treatment/Body
|phenology=Flowering early spring.
|habitat=Open, rocky stream banks and adjacent (often rather dry) slopes
|elevation=100–2400 m
|distribution=Calif.;Idaho;Mont.;Oreg.;Wash.
|discussion=<p><i>Alnus rhombifolia</i> is the common alder throughout the dry Mediterranean climatic zone of coastal western United States. Mexican populations are not known, but because <i>A. rhombifolia</i> has been collected as far south as San Diego, California, it should be expected in adjacent Baja California.</p><!--
--><p>Native Americans used various parts of <i>Alnus rhombifolia</i> medicinally for diarrhea, consumption, and burns, as a blood purifier, an emetic, and a wash for babies with skin diseases, and to facilitate childbirth (D. E. Moerman 1986).</p>
|tables=
|references=
}}<!--

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-->{{#Taxon:
name=Alnus rhombifolia
|author=
|authority=Nuttall
|rank=species
|parent rank=genus
|synonyms=Alnus rhombifolia var. bernardina
|basionyms=
|family=Betulaceae
|phenology=Flowering early spring.
|habitat=Open, rocky stream banks and adjacent (often rather dry) slopes
|elevation=100–2400 m
|distribution=Calif.;Idaho;Mont.;Oreg.;Wash.
|reference=None
|publication title=N. Amer. Sylv.
|publication year=1842
|special status=Endemic
|source xml=https://jpend@bitbucket.org/aafc-mbb/fna-data-curation.git/src/f6b125a955440c0872999024f038d74684f65921/coarse_grained_fna_xml/V3/V3_456.xml
|subfamily=Betulaceae subfam. Betuloideae
|genus=Alnus
|species=Alnus rhombifolia
}}<!--

-->[[Category:Treatment]][[Category:Alnus]]