California alder vs lime prickly-ash

Alnus rhombifolia compared with Zanthoxylum fagara

Key Differences

• California alder is Least Concern while lime prickly-ash is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	California alder	lime prickly-ash
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Fagales (Beeches & Oaks)	Sapindales (Sapindales)
Family	Betulaceae	Rutaceae
Genus	Alnus	Zanthoxylum
Species	Alnus rhombifolia	Zanthoxylum fagara

Evolutionary Relationship

California alder and lime prickly-ash share a common ancestor at the Class level: Magnoliopsida. (Dicots)

Conservation Status

California alder

LC — Least Concern

lime prickly-ash

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	California alder	lime prickly-ash
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

California alder

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Canada.

lime prickly-ash

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, among 5 distinct biome types within the Neotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Colombia, and Cuba. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

California alder

The California alder (Alnus rhombifolia) 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.