Populus- poplar Flashcards
Populus
poplar; aspen; cottonwood
Populus
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
Populus- leaves
huge variation in leaf size and shape
variable serrations
simple leaves
pinnate venation
most have long petioles
populus- flowers
dioecious
male and female flowers borne on seperate plants
flowers usually appear before or with the leaves
Populus- fruit
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
Populus- catkin
shed bud scales and male catkins can be messy; and can be very sticky- especially balsam poplar
Populus- roots
most poplars are shallow rooted
and suckering- especially after a heavy prune or disturbance of the root system
populus alba
silver poplar
Populus tremuloides
trembling aspen
Populus tremula ‘Erecta’
Swedish Columnar Aspen
Populus x canescens ‘Tower’
Tower poplar
Populus balsamifera
balsam poplar
Populus deltoides
Plains Cottonwood
Silver Poplar
Round headed tree but columnar forms available
Silver poplar- leaves
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
Silver poplar- buds
buds are silvery hairy
alternate
new growth intensely silvery hairy
shiny dark green above
white hairy below
Silver poplar- bark
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
Silver poplar- autumn colouration
Autumn colouration is most commonly yellow
some leaves stay silver well into winter
populus tremuloides
trembling aspen
trembling aspen
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
trembling aspen leaves
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
trembling aspen- bark
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
trembling aspen- autumn colour
bright yellow typically- can have leaves which turn red/orange
colour is environmentally modified- 2 factors, moisture, altitude
Trembling aspen- pest
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
Trembling aspen- ID note
sawdust being pushed out of trunk
sap oozing from trunk
holes in trunk
Trembling aspen- yellow-bellied sapsucker
creates a pattern of small holes
can cause larger holes into the wood
The worlds largest tree
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
Populus tremula ‘Erecta’
Swedish columnar aspen
Swedish columnar aspen
very columnar (3-5 feet/1-1.5 m wide)
growth is held close to the trunk
Swedish columnar aspen-leaves
Simple, ovate, crenate (rounded shallow teeth)
Swedish columnar aspen- buds
Alternate; slender, conical, sharp pointed, dark reddish-brown; tips curving inwards.
not gummy or fragnant
multiple overlapping bud scales
Swedish columnar aspen- pest
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
Populus x canescens ‘Tower’
Tower poplar
Tower poplar
narrow columnar tree
not as narrow as Swedish columnar aspen
Tower poplar- leaves
simple, ovate, crenate (rounded shallow teeth)
silvery bottom
Tower poplar- autumn co,ouration
often yellow
Populus balsamifera
Balsam poplar
Balsam poplar
native
Balsam poplar- leaves
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
Balsam poplar-bud
buds slender
long pointed, not angled
very resinous
fragrant
reddish-brown
lateral buds smaller than terminal and pressed against the twig
Populus deltoides
plains cottonwood
plains cottonwood- leaves
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
plains cottonwood- female
known for the large amount of seed they produce- fuzzies
plains cottonwood- self pruning
tree drops small twigs/ branches after storng winds
Plains cottonwood- hybrids
variable shapes and sizes
resulting from many different crosses
variable leaf shape, serration, size
