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White Poplar   arrow

Populus alba (pop’-u-lus al’-ba)
Family: Salicaceae, Willow


Key Steps


Description

White Poplar leafLeaf: Slightly lobed. Deep dark green above and woolly beneath. Petiole is long and hairy. Random venation off of the central vein.

Bud: Scales round, brown with white ‘wool’ (woollyness may rub off), and fringed with long hairs.

Leaf Scar: Somewhat raised, crescent-shaped, 3 lobes. Three bundle scars.

Stem: New growth white, woolly.

Bark: White, smooth, older is black.

Pith: 5-pointed, star-shaped. White, solid.

Flower: Male and female catkins on separate trees before leaves.

Fruit: Female catkin cotton producing. Seeds are attached to ‘threads’ of cotton.

Habit: Large, open, has several main branches. White ‘cast’ to everything. Weak wooded. May sucker. To 40+ feet tall.

Culture: Full sun. Moist conditions are preferred.

Note: P. alba ‘Pyramidalis’ (Bolleana Poplar) is columnar.


Resources

Colorado Master Gardener
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