Populus- poplar

Question 1

Populus

Answer 1

poplar; aspen; cottonwood

Question 2

Populus

Answer 2

some of the most common and widely distributed native trees in Canada
40 species, 6 native to Canada
Freely hybridize
also introduced species
variable in size
can be very large trees

Question 3

Populus- leaves

Answer 3

huge variation in leaf size and shape
variable serrations
simple leaves
pinnate venation
most have long petioles

Question 4

populus- flowers

Answer 4

dioecious
male and female flowers borne on seperate plants
flowers usually appear before or with the leaves

Question 5

Populus- fruit

Answer 5

fruit is a fleshy capsule/pod that splits and releases tiny seeds bearing white fluffy hairs that assist them to become airborne
cottonwoods known for fuzzies

Question 6

Populus- catkin

Answer 6

shed bud scales and male catkins can be messy; and can be very sticky- especially balsam poplar

Question 7

Populus- roots

Answer 7

most poplars are shallow rooted
and suckering- especially after a heavy prune or disturbance of the root system

Question 8

populus alba

Answer 8

silver poplar

Question 9

Populus tremuloides

Answer 9

trembling aspen

Question 10

Populus tremula ‘Erecta’

Answer 10

Swedish Columnar Aspen

Question 11

Populus x canescens ‘Tower’

Answer 11

Tower poplar

Question 12

Populus balsamifera

Answer 12

balsam poplar

Question 13

Populus deltoides

Answer 13

Plains Cottonwood

Question 14

Silver Poplar

Answer 14

Round headed tree but columnar forms available

Question 15

Silver poplar- leaves

Answer 15

Simple
ovate to elliptic-oblong
usually 3 to 5 lobed with triangular coarsely toothed lobes
acute leaf tip
subcoardate or rounded at base
‘maple-like’ looking leaf
petioles 2.5 cm long and silver hairy
shiny dark green above
white hairy below

Question 16

Silver poplar- buds

Answer 16

buds are silvery hairy
alternate
new growth intensely silvery hairy
shiny dark green above
white hairy below

Question 17

Silver poplar- bark

Answer 17

numerous lenticels on year-old and older branches
goes from silvery to greenish brown with oldest bark being dark grayish and furrowed
most commonly multi-trunked but can be single trunked

Question 18

Silver poplar- autumn colouration

Answer 18

Autumn colouration is most commonly yellow
some leaves stay silver well into winter

Question 19

populus tremuloides

Answer 19

trembling aspen

Question 20

trembling aspen

Answer 20

native to all parts of sask
commonly called native white poplar becuase of the white bark
thicket forming due to suckering action
small, rounded headed tree usually single trunk

Question 21

trembling aspen leaves

Answer 21

simple, nearly circular
acuminate leaf tip
rounded at the base
petiole usually longer than the leaf, slender, flattened
slightest air movement will cause leaves to “tremble”
fine irregular serration on the margin

Question 22

trembling aspen- bark

Answer 22

bark becomes grey and furrowed with age
can be quite white and is often confused with paper birch
poplar bark does not peel and reproductive structures are very different

Question 23

trembling aspen- autumn colour

Answer 23

bright yellow typically- can have leaves which turn red/orange
colour is environmentally modified- 2 factors, moisture, altitude

Question 24

Trembling aspen- pest

Answer 24

very prone to attack from poplar borer
larvae burrowing around inside the trunk- chew through xylem which disrupts flow of water
causes death to the top of the tree, and eventually death of whole tree

Question 25

Trembling aspen- ID note

Answer 25

sawdust being pushed out of trunk sap oozing from trunk holes in trunk

Question 26

Trembling aspen- yellow-bellied sapsucker

Answer 26

creates a pattern of small holes can cause larger holes into the wood

Question 27

The worlds largest tree

Answer 27

trembling aspen Pando is in fishlake national forest in utah south central utah est. 48k suckers (clones) originating from a single male tree after the last ice age (9000 years ago) Pando spans 106 acres and weighs over 13.2 million pounds

Question 28

Populus tremula 'Erecta'

Answer 28

Swedish columnar aspen

Question 29

Swedish columnar aspen

Answer 29

very columnar (3-5 feet/1-1.5 m wide) growth is held close to the trunk

Question 30

Swedish columnar aspen-leaves

Answer 30

Simple, ovate, crenate (rounded shallow teeth)

Question 31

Swedish columnar aspen- buds

Answer 31

Alternate; slender, conical, sharp pointed, dark reddish-brown; tips curving inwards. not gummy or fragnant multiple overlapping bud scales

Question 32

Swedish columnar aspen- pest

Answer 32

poplar borer chew through xylem which disrupts flow of water, causing death to the top of the tree and eventually death of whole tree woodpeckers can be beneficial

Question 33

Populus x canescens 'Tower'

Answer 33

Tower poplar

Question 34

Tower poplar

Answer 34

narrow columnar tree not as narrow as Swedish columnar aspen

Question 35

Tower poplar- leaves

Answer 35

simple, ovate, crenate (rounded shallow teeth) silvery bottom

Question 36

Tower poplar- autumn co,ouration

Answer 36

often yellow

Question 37

Populus balsamifera

Answer 37

Balsam poplar

Question 38

Balsam poplar

Answer 38

native

Question 39

Balsam poplar- leaves

Answer 39

simple; ovate- lanceolate to broadly ovate-deltoid slight serrate margin acute or acuminate leaf tip rounded or subcordate at base long round slender petioles 3-6 cm

Question 40

Balsam poplar-bud

Answer 40

buds slender long pointed, not angled very resinous fragrant reddish-brown lateral buds smaller than terminal and pressed against the twig

Question 41

Populus deltoides

Answer 41

plains cottonwood

Question 42

plains cottonwood- leaves

Answer 42

simple; alternate; shiny deltoid-ovate to broad-ovate acuminate leaf tip subcordate to square at base petioles somewhat angular or flattened leathery leaf coarsely crenate with curved rounded teeth tip and base of leaf entire

Question 43

plains cottonwood- female

Answer 43

known for the large amount of seed they produce- fuzzies

Question 44

plains cottonwood- self pruning

Answer 44

tree drops small twigs/ branches after storng winds

Question 45

Plains cottonwood- hybrids

Answer 45

variable shapes and sizes resulting from many different crosses variable leaf shape, serration, size