Green Alder vs Water Arum - TreeTime.ca

Green Alder vs Water Arum

Alnus alnobetula subsp. crispa

Calla palustris

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

CUSTOM GROW

Green Alder
Water Arum

Green Alder is a cold hardy, native shrub. It is often planted on infertile sites so it can fix nitrogen from the air and improve the soil quality.

Green Alder is known for its smooth grey bark and attractive shiny green leaves; it is commonly used in reclamation.

Water Arum is a native perennial wetland plant known for its showy white oval sheaths (spathe) that surround a yellow-green, cylindrical flower spike (spadix). It has large, oblong, heart-shaped leaves on stems that rise above the water from shallow, spreading rhizomes. The blossoms are followed in late summer by tiny, pear-shaped fruits that ripen to bright red, adding ornamental interest to wet habitats.

Water Arum provides food for birds and small mammals that eat its berries, and its flowers attract pollinators. It can tolerate cold climates and forms colonies in shallow water and saturated soils. It is well-suited for ecological restoration, riparian planting, naturalisation, and habitat projects in wet and shaded environments.

Green Alder Quick Facts

Water Arum Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 1b
Height: 7 m (23 ft)
Height: 0.2 m (0.8 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Spread: 0.2 m (0.8 ft)
Light: any
Light: shade, partial shade
Moisture: any
Moisture: wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: colony-forming
Spreading: rhizomes - medium, seeds - low
Suckering: high


Toxicity: toxic if ingested
Flowers: white sheath around and yellow spike
Bloom time: spring to summer
Berries: red, in clusters
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: yes
Catkins: no

In row spacing: 0.9 m (3 ft)

Between row spacing: 5 m (16 ft)
Native to: AB, SK, MB, ON, NS, NB, NL, YT
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, PE
Other Names: american green alder
Other Names: bog arum, swamp lily, wild calla, wild dragon