Alnus rubra
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID644039040fc89445942604 |
| Scientific name | Alnus rubra |
| Authority | Bong. |
| First published in | Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. Saint Pétersbourg, Sér. 7 , 2: 162 (1833) |
Ethnobotanical Use Top
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Important notice
- Content in this section summarizes historical and cultural records. It is not medical advice.
- Do not use plants for self-treatment. Safety, efficacy, and appropriate use are not established here.
- Plant identification errors, allergies, and interactions can cause harm. Consult qualified professionals for health questions.
- Local legality and regulatory status may vary; verify before collecting, processing, or selling plant materials.
Ethnobotanical Uses
Across the Pacific Northwest of North America, Alnus rubra has been used in infusions and decoctions for internal care and as poultices for the skin. Among the Yurok and neighboring tribes of northern California and Oregon, a bark decoction was taken for coughs, colds, and sore throats, and sometimes for tuberculosis, a practice described in Mooney’s 1928 ethnography of the Klamath. In southwestern Oregon and northern California, the Karok used a strong bark decoction for fevers and as a “tonic,” and in the intermontane west, the Western Shoshone employed an Alnus rubra infusion as a general health tonic. The outer bark, rather than the inner wood, is consistently specified in the older ethnographies (Gottfried, 1916; Chesnut, 1902).
On the coast, red alder bark was also an external medicine. Among the Maidu of California and several northwest-coastal groups, fresh outer bark was chewed or beaten into a poultice and applied to wounds, swollen glands, and rheumatic pains, with Mooney again noting its use for scrofula. The bark’s astringent character is the key to these applications.
A concise bark decoction preparation is straightforward: simmer about 1 tablespoon (roughly 5 g) of outer bark chips in 250 ml of water for 15 minutes, then steep covered for 10 minutes before straining. This yields a mild astringent tea commonly taken in quarter- to half-cup doses two to three times daily as needed for coughs or fevers. The mixture can also be cooled and used as a compress on sprains or minor wounds. Tannin-rich preparations like this are contraindicated in pregnancy, and long-term high-dose use is not advised due to the risk of gastric irritation and reduced iron absorption.
The principal active constituents in Alnus rubra bark are condensed and hydrolyzable tannins, notably alnustanin and related ellagitannins, along with catechins, flavan-3-ols, and low levels of salicylates. These compounds account for the astringent, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial actions repeatedly observed in clinical and folk practice. Today, the species remains a minor but still used source of astringent bark for teas and tinctures in some herbal traditions, and modern phytochemical studies continue to profile its rich tannin profile and potential bioactivities.
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!Common products:
Heartwood and sapwood lumber; veneer and plywood; pulpwood and wood chips for kraft and thermo-mechanical pulping; charcoal; fuelwood.
Industrial and craft applications:
Clear-heart lumber is used for furniture, cabinets, millwork, and interior joinery. Veneer and plywood are manufactured for furniture and interior panels. The wood is processed for kraft, semi-chemical, and TMP pulps for printing and writing papers, molded products, and fiberboard; it is noted in North American forestry literature as a high-volume pulp species for West Coast mills. Wood is also converted to charcoal and fuelwood.
Colorants and tanning:
Alder bark and wood are tannin-rich and historically used to tan leather; both yield brown dyes for wool, silk, and leather coloration, with the deepest browns obtained using iron or copper mordants. Commercially, this refers to condensed tannins (proanthocyanidins) found in the bark and wood that chelate metal mordants and oxidize to brown hues.
Scientific and model use:
Red alder’s actinorhizal symbiosis with Frankia makes it a reference organism for nitrogen-fixation and actinorhiza studies; it is used in nursery inoculum production, research on root nodulation, and restoration plantings for site preparation. Genomic and transcriptomic datasets for A. rubra support comparative phylogenetics in the Betulaceae and studies of stress and symbiotic gene expression, including NCBI resources (e.g., Taxonomy ID 10266).
Properties relevant to use:
Wood characteristics: generally diffuse-porous, straight grain, fine to medium texture, and a light brown to reddish heartwood; moderate specific gravity (≈0.41) and low shrinkage yield stable dimensional performance. Sapwood is pale, heartwood exhibits moderate natural durability due to extractives. Tannin content is primarily condensed type; kraft pulping requires appropriate cook profiles to balance lignin removal and hemicellulose preservation.
Standards and regulation:
Lumber graded under NHLA rules; veneer and plywood comply with relevant US and Canadian product standards; kraft and TMP pulps follow industry specifications and mill quality standards; charcoal and fuelwood meet regional emission and handling regulations.
Sustainability and sourcing:
Red alder is a fast-growing, early-successional species naturally regenerated across Pacific Northwest mixed stands; managed stands provide sawtimber and pulpwood while supporting restoration, soil enrichment, and riparian habitat; wood chips and logging residues from harvest and thinning operations supply pulp and energy feedstocks.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Alnus incana var. rubra | (Bong.) Regel | Nouv. Mém. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 13(2): 157 1861 |
| Alnus oregana | Nutt. | N. Amer. Sylv. 1: 9 (1842) |
| Alnus rubra var. pinnatisecta | Starker | J. Forest. (Washington) 37: 115 (1939) |
| Alnus rubra f. pinnatisecta | (Starker) Rehder | Bibl. Cult. Trees : 104 (1949) |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| English | oregon alder |
| English | western alder |
| English | red alder |
| Spanish | alnus oregana |
| Spanish | alnus rubra var. pinnatisecta |
| Spanish | aliso rojo |
| Spanish | aliso rojo americano |
| Arabic | نغت أحمر |
| Azerbaijani | qırmızı qızılağac |
| azb | قیرمیزی قیزیل آغاج |
| Bulgarian | червена елша |
| Catalan | aulne rouge |
| Welsh | gwernen goch |
| German | aulne rouge |
| German | oregon-erle |
| German | roterle |
| German | rot-erle |
| Persian | توسکای قرمز |
| Finnish | punaleppä |
| Finnish | oregoninleppä |
| French | aulne rouge |
| Hebrew | אלנוס מאדים |
| Hungarian | vörös éger |
| Icelandic | ryðölur |
| Italian | ontano rosso |
| Japanese | アメリカアカハンノキ |
| Japanese | レッドオルダー |
| koi | Гӧрд ловпу |
| Lithuanian | aulne rouge |
| Norwegian Bokmål | rødor |
| Polish | olsza czerwona |
| Russian | Ольха красная |
| Swedish | aulne rouge |
| Swedish | rödal |
| udm | Горд лулпу |
| Chinese | 美國赤楊 |
| Chinese | 赤楊 |
| Chinese | 红桤木 |
Germination/Propagation Top
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No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
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Northern America click to expand
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Northwestern U.S.A.
- Idaho
- Montana
- Oregon
- Washington
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Southwestern U.S.A.
- California
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Subarctic America
- Alaska
- Yukon
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Western Canada
- British Columbia
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Northwestern U.S.A.
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Southern America click to expand
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Southern South America
- Argentina South
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Southern South America
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000947467 |
| UNII | SC957G7NBA |
| Canadensys | 3679 |
| USDA Plants | ALRU2 |
| Tropicos | 3600058 |
| INPN | 610834 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:294986-1 |
| The Plant List | kew-6584 |
| PaleoBotany | 81345 |
| Open Tree Of Life | 639117 |
| Observations.org | 141823 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 109069 |
| NBN Atlas | NBNSYS0000042064 |
| Nature Serve | 2.136265 |
| IUCN Red List | 194598 |
| IPNI | 294986-1 |
| iNaturalist | 56034 |
| GBIF | 2876176 |
| Freebase | /m/029k_4 |
| FEIS | plants/tree/alnrub |
| EPPO | ALURB |
| EOL | 1145612 |
| Elurikkus | 2689 |
| Calflora (Californian flora) | 253 |
| US Library of Congress | sh85112026 |
| USDA GRIN | 105118 |
| Wikipedia | Alnus_rubra |
| PFAF | Alnus rubra |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
Below is displayed the reference genome only!
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
| Accession | Assembly | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Level | Submitter | Released | Coverage | Size | |
| GCA_028654335.1 | ASM2865433v1 | Contig | NCGR | 2023-02-15 | 93 | 525.25 Mb |
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
| Title | Authors | Publication | Released | IDs | ||||||
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| Commodity risk assessment of Tilia cordata and Tilia platyphyllos plants from the UK | Bragard C, Baptista P, Chatzivassiliou E, Di Serio F, Jaques Miret JA, Justesen AF, MacLeod A, Magnusson CS, Milonas P, Navas‐Cortes JA, Parnell S, Potting R, Reignault PL, Stefani E, Thulke H, Van der Werf W, Vicent Civera A, Yuen J, Zappalà L, Battisti A, Mas H, Rigling D, Faccoli M, Mikulová A, Mosbach‐Schulz O, Stergulc F, Streissl F, Gonthier P | EFSA J | 03-May-2024 |
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| Commodity risk assessment of Ligustrum ovalifolium and Ligustrum vulgare plants from the UK | Bragard C, Baptista P, Chatzivassiliou E, Di Serio F, Jaques Miret JA, Justesen AF, MacLeod A, Magnusson CS, Milonas P, Navas‐Cortes JA, Parnell S, Potting R, Reignault PL, Stefani E, Thulke H, Van der Werf W, Civera AV, Yuen J, Zappalà L, Battisti A, Mas H, Rigling D, Faccoli M, Mikulová A, Mosbach‐Schulz O, Stergulc F, Streissl F, Gonthier P | EFSA J | 07-Mar-2024 |
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| Worldwide forest surveys reveal forty-three new species in Phytophthora major Clade 2 with fundamental implications for the evolution and biogeography of the genus and global plant biosecurity | Jung T, Milenković I, Balci Y, Janoušek J, Kudláček T, Nagy ZÁ, Baharuddin B, Bakonyi J, Broders KD, Cacciola SO, Chang TT, Chi NM, Corcobado T, Cravador A, Đorđević B, Durán A, Ferreira M, Fu CH, Garcia L, Hieno A, Ho HH, Hong C, Junaid M, Kageyama K, Kuswinanti T, Maia C, Májek T, Masuya H, Magnano di San Lio G, Mendieta-Araica B, Nasri N, Oliveira LS, Pane A, Pérez-Sierra A, Rosmana A, Sanfuentes von Stowasser E, Scanu B, Singh R, Stanivuković Z, Tarigan M, Thu PQ, Tomić Z, Tomšovský M, Uematsu S, Webber JF, Zeng HC, Zheng FC, Brasier CM, Horta Jung M | Stud Mycol | 27-Feb-2024 |
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| Succession and climatic stochasticity induce long-term decline of a forest browser | Long ES, Tham EJ, Ferrer RP | PLoS One | 27-Feb-2024 |
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| High Frankia abundance and low diversity of microbial community are associated with nodulation specificity and stability of sea buckthorn root nodule | Liu H, Ni B, Duan A, He C, Zhang J | Front Plant Sci | 21-Feb-2024 |
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| Diversity of Wickerhamomyces (Wickerhamomycetaceae, Saccharomycetales) in China with the description of four new species | Chai CY, Ke T, Niu QH, Hui FL | Front Microbiol | 08-Feb-2024 |
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| Commodity risk assessment of Corylus avellana plants from the UK | Bragard C, Baptista P, Chatzivassiliou E, Di Serio F, Jaques Miret JA, Justesen AF, MacLeod A, Magnusson CS, Milonas P, Navas‐Cortes JA, Parnell S, Potting R, Reignault PL, Stefani E, Thulke H, Van der Werf W, Civera AV, Yuen J, Zappalà L, Battisti A, Mas H, Rigling D, Faccoli M, Mikulová A, Mosbach‐Schulz O, Stergulc F, Streissl F, Gonthier P | EFSA J | 12-Jan-2024 |
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| Pest categorisation of Pestalotiopsis microspora | Bragard C, Baptista P, Chatzivassiliou E, Di Serio F, Gonthier P, Jaques Miret JA, Justesen AF, MacLeod A, Magnusson CS, Milonas P, Navas‐Cortes JA, Parnell S, Potting R, Stefani E, Thulke H, Van der Werf W, Vicent Civera A, Yuen J, Zappalà L, Migheli Q, Vloutoglou I, Gobbi A, Maiorano A, Pautasso M, Reignault PL | EFSA J | 21-Dec-2023 |
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| Associations between shade tolerance and wood specific gravity for conifers in contrast to angiosperm trees: Foundations of the conifer fitness‐enhancing shade tolerance hypothesis | Tucker GF, Maguire DA, Tupinambá‐Simões F | Plant Environ Interact | 13-Dec-2023 |
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| Novel Tri-Segmented Rhabdoviruses: A Data Mining Expedition Unveils the Cryptic Diversity of Cytorhabdoviruses | Bejerman N, Dietzgen R, Debat H | Viruses | 10-Dec-2023 |
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| Quaternary palaeoecology meets deep-time palaeobiology | Birks HJ | Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A | 01-Nov-2023 |
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| Commodity risk assessment of Quercus petraea plants from the UK | Bragard C, Baptista P, Chatzivassiliou E, Di Serio F, Jaques Miret JA, Justesen AF, MacLeod A, Magnusson CS, Milonas P, Navas‐Cortes JA, Parnell S, Potting R, Reignault PL, Stefani E, Thulke H, Van der Werf W, Vicent Civera A, Yuen J, Zappalà L, Battisti A, Mas H, Rigling D, Faccoli M, Iacopetti G, Mikulová A, Mosbach‐Schulz O, Stergulc F, Streissl F, Gonthier P | EFSA J | 30-Oct-2023 |
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| Commodity risk assessment of Quercus robur plants from the UK | Bragard C, Baptista P, Chatzivassiliou E, Di Serio F, Jaques Miret JA, Justesen AF, MacLeod A, Magnusson CS, Milonas P, Navas‐Cortes JA, Parnell S, Potting R, Reignault PL, Stefani E, Thulke H, Van der Werf W, Vicent Civera A, Yuen J, Zappalà L, Battisti A, Mas H, Rigling D, Faccoli M, Iacopetti G, Mikulová A, Mosbach‐Schulz O, Stergulc F, Streissl F, Gonthier P | EFSA J | 30-Oct-2023 |
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| Mechanism of fungal remediation of wetland water: Stropharia rugosoannulata as promising fungal species for the development of biofilters to remove clinically important pathogenic and antibiotic resistant bacteria in contaminated water | Sen K, Llewellyn M, Taheri B, Turner RJ, Berglund T, Maloney K | Front Microbiol | 18-Oct-2023 |
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| The most polyphagous insect herbivore? Host plant associations of the Meadow spittlebug, Philaenus spumarius (L.) | Thompson V, Harkin C, Stewart AJ | PLoS One | 04-Oct-2023 |
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Phytochemical Profile Top
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Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |