WHITE POPLAR

The 'White Poplar' (''Populus alba'') is a species of poplar, most closely related to the aspens (''Populus'' sect. ''Populus''). The name in England is 'Abele-tree', derived from the Dutch name, 'Abeel'. Our Native Trees and How to Identify Them, , Harriet L., Keeler, Charles Scriber's Sons, , It is native from Spain and Morocco through central Europe to central Asia, growing to heights of up to 16-27 metres.

Contents

Description

Distribution

Cultivation

Uses

History

References

Description

It has a thick trunk topped with a broad rounded crown, and the bark is smooth and greyish-white, with characteristic diamond-shaped dark marks, but blackish and fissured at the base of old trees. The annual shoots are covered with whitish-grey down, including the small buds. The leaves are 4-15 cm long, five-lobed, with a thick covering of white scurfy down on both sides but thicker underneath; this layer wears off the upper side but not the lower, which stays white until autumn leaf fall. Larger, deeply lobed leaves are produced on fast-growing young trees, and smaller, less deeply lobed leaves on older, slow-growing trees.
The dioecious flowers appear at the end of March and when in full bloom may be said fairly to drip catkins, so covered is every branch witht he pendulous aments, three inches long and as large as one's finger.

Distribution

This particular species has been introduced into North America, especially along the east coast. It is a highly competitive tree and is the most common introduced tree species on Cape Breton Island.

Cultivation

The seed capsules mature in May to July. The White Poplar also propagates by means of root suckers growing from the lateral roots, often as far as 20-30 metres from the trunk.
The White Poplar grows in moist sites, sometimes by watersides, in regions with hot summers and cold to mild winters. It requires abundant light and ample moisture, and stands up well to flood water and slightly acidic soils. It is very attractive as an open-grown tree in water meadows, and, because of its vast root system, is used also to strengthen sand dunes.
White Poplar hybridises readily with the closely related Common Aspen (''Populus tremula''); the resulting hybrid, known as 'Grey Poplar' (''Populus × canescens''), is intermediate between its parents, with a thin grey downy coating on the leaves, which are also much less deeply lobed than White Poplar leaves. It is a very vigorous tree with marked hybrid vigour, reaching 40 m tall and over 1.5 m trunk diameter (much larger than either of its parents).

Uses

Its green-and-white leaves makes it an effective ornamental tree but the root system's suckers have to be managed.
In intensive forest management it is being replaced by various cottonwood hybrids. The wood is soft, and used to make cellulose and for cheap boxes.
A conical cultivar from Turkestan, ''Populus alba'' 'Pyramidalis' (Bolle's Poplar) is sometimes planted in parks.

History

According to ancient mythology the White Poplar was consecrated to Hercules because he destroyed Cacus in a cavern adjoining Mount Aventinus, which was covered with these trees; and in the moment of his triumph he bound his brows with a branch of White Poplar as a token of his victory. Persons offering sacrifices to Hercules were always crowned with branches of this tree; and all who had gloriously conquered their enemies in battle wore garlands of it, in imitation of Hercules. Homer in the "Iliad" compares the fall of Simoisius when killed by Ajax to that of a poplar.
Ovid mentions that Paris had carved the name of Ænone on a poplar, as Shakespeare makes Orlando carve the name of Rosalind upon the trees of the forest of Arden.
Virgil gives directions for the culture of this tree and Horace speaks of the White Poplar as delighting to grow on the banks of rivers.

References