red alder

American  

noun

1. a tree, Alnus oregona (orA. rubra ), of western North America, having smooth, mottled light gray bark and oval serrate leaves.

2. the hard, red wood of this tree, used for making furniture.

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Other Word Forms

• red-alder
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of red alder

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

red alder

Large patches of dark green attest to a welcome surprise: Dense stands of red alder are thriving after all.

From Science Magazine ● Oct. 18, 2023

The twigs of bigleaf maple and red alder, cast to the ground by winter’s wind, show their thrusting buds, just ready to make this year’s leaves.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 25, 2022

In one storage room, glass jars full of pollens — red alder, mountain cedar, bottlebrush — dust mites, cockroach, cattle hair, aspergillus, and other allergens lined the shelves.

From Salon ● Nov. 22, 2020

Smaller trees such as tanoak and red alder may have much shorter life spans, but they sequester more carbon than redwoods and firs when they are young and growing fast.

From The New Yorker ● Oct. 10, 2018

Fifteen years after the eruption, the ravaged slopes were dotted with trees and woody shrubs: red alder, lodgepole pine, willow bush.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann