alder

Everyday

An alder is a tree of the birch family that grows by rivers and in wet ground, with roundish leaves and small cones and catkins. tree →

In the lessons

In science and nature, alders like wet soil; their roots help hold river banks together, and they make little woody cones that stay on all winter. In The Wind in the Willows the river is lined with willows and alders. Alder wood does not rot easily under water, so it was used for posts and piers, and Venice stands partly on alder.

Examples

• Alders grow along the river bank. tree →
• The alder has small brown cones like tiny pine cones. tree →
• Siskins feed on alder seeds in winter. tree →
• The Rat tied his boat to an old alder. tree →
• Alder wood lasts well in water. tree →
• Catkins hang from the alder in early spring. tree →
• Between the crevices there grew a little rowan tree and four alder bushes. tree →

Note

Countable. Do not mix up with «elder», another tree (with white flowers and black berries), or with «older».