Alder vs Black Elder

Alnus glutinosa compared with Sambucus nigra

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alder	Black Elder
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Fagales (Beeches & Oaks)	Dipsacales (Dipsacales)
Family	Betulaceae	Viburnaceae
Genus	Alnus	Sambucus
Species	Alnus glutinosa	Sambucus nigra

Evolutionary Relationship

Alder and Black Elder share a common ancestor at the Class level: Magnoliopsida. (Dicots)

Conservation Status

Alder

LC — Least Concern

Black Elder

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alder	Black Elder
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alder

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (India, Japan), Europe (6 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (Chile).

Black Elder

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 10 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (11 countries), Asia (6 countries), Europe (15 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (4 countries), and South America (5 countries).

Alder

The Alder (Alnus glutinosa) is a species in the genus Alnus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Black Elder

The Black Elder (Sambucus nigra) is a species in the genus Sambucus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 10 distinct biome types. Populations are also fou. Widely distributed across Africa (11 countries), Asia (6 countries), Europe (15 countries), North America (Canada, Unite...

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 13 countries:

🇦🇺 Australia 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇨🇦 Canada 🇨🇱 Chile 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇮 Finland 🇮🇳 India 🇳🇿 New Zealand 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇿🇦 South Africa 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States