¥ 7. P. n i ' g r a L . The h\aok-barked, or common black. Poplar.
I d e n ti fic a tio n . L in . S p . P L , t. 1464. ; E n g . F l „ 4. p . 245. ; H o o k . F I . S c o t., 2 80. _ „
S y n o n ym e s . P . ftlb a T r a g . H i s t . !080. f i g . ; P . v im i n e a D u H a m . A r b . ; P . v is t u le n s i s i f ò r ì ;
P , p o lò n ic a H o r t. ; A ig c iro s , G r e e k ; K a b a k i, M o d e r n G r e e k ; th e o ld E n g li s h P o p l a r , SifioUc ;
t h e W illo w P o p l a r , C am b r id g e s h ir e ; W a t e r P o p l a r ; t h e f em a le o f P . n i g r a is c a l le d t h e C o t to n
T r e e a t B u r y S t . E d m u n d s ; P e u p l i e r n o i r , P e u p l i e r H a rd , O s ie r b la u c , F r . ; s c h w a r z e P a p p e l,
E n g u i v in g s . E n g . B o t . , t . 1910. ; th e p l a t e o f t h i s sp e c ie s in A rb . B r i t . , 1 s t e d i t . , v o l. v ii. ; a n d o u r
J ig - H 9 8 .
Spec. Char.,4c. P etio le somewhat compressed. Disk of le a f deltoid, pointed,
serrated with glanded te e th , glabrous on both surfaces. Catkins lax,
cylindrical. Stigmas 4, simple, spreading. (Smith.)^ A tre e. Europe,
from Sweden to Italy, on th e banks o f rivers, and in moist woods j and
found, also, in th e north of Africa. Height 50 ft. to 80 ft. Flowers dark
red ; March and April. Seed ripe in May. Decaying leaves rich yellow.
Variety.
¥ P . n. 2 viridis Lindl. P . viridis Lodd. Cat. ed. 1836. — Leaves o f a
brighter green than in th c species.
Th e leaves are slightly notched on the ir edges, o f a pale light green ; and
th e petioles are yellowish. Th e leaves a re protruded about th e middle of
May, much la ter th an tho se o f P . fastigiàta, P . alba, or P . (a .) canescens;
and, when they are first expanded, their colour appears a mixture o f red and
yellow. T h e catkins are sh o rte r than th o se o f P . trémula o r P. álba ; they
ajjpear before th e leaves, in March and April ; those o f th e males are o f a dark
red, and, being produced in abundance, have a striking effect. T h e capsules
o f th e female catkins are round ; and th e seeds which they enclose are enveloped
in a beautiful white cotton. T h e tre e is o f rapid growth, especially
in good soil, in moist situations, or on th e banks o f rivers. In th e climate of
London, it attains th e height o f SO or 40 ft. in ten years ; and, when planted
for timber, arrives a t perfection in from forty to fifty years, beginning to decay
when about sixty o r eighty years old. I t is readily known from ail oth e r species
from th e numerous large nodosities on its trunk. It bears lopping ; and, when
tre ated as a pollard, it produces abundance
o f shoots. In moist soil, when
cu t down to th e ground annually, it
throws up numerous shoots, like willows,
The wood is yellow, soft, and,
being more fibrous than th a t o f any ,
other species o f poplar, it splits more
readily than th e wood o f either P . álba
o r P . trémula. I t weighs, in a green
state, 6 0 Ib. 9oz. per cubic fo o t; half-
dry, 42 lb. 13 oz. ; and dry, 29 lb. : thus
losing more than one half its weight by
drying; and it loáes, by shrinking, more
than a sixth o f its bulk. I t is applied
to all th e different juirposes o f th a t o f P .
álba, but its most general use on the
Continent is for packing-cases, more especially for th e tran sp o rt o f bottled
wines. In Berlin, th e wood produced by k n o tty tru n k s, which is curiously
mottled, is much used by cabinetmakers for making ladies’ workboxes, which
are celebrated both in Germany and Fran c e . This wood is brouglit from the
banks o f th e Vistula, where th e tree abounds, and hence th e names of
P . vistulénsìs and P . polònica.
¥ 8. P . (? N . ) c a n a d e ' n s i s Michx. The Canadian Poplar.
I d e n ti fic a tio n . M ic h x . A r b . , 3 . p . 2 98. ; N . A m e r . S y l., 2 . p . 227.
S y n o n y m e s . P . læ v ig à t a W illd . S p . P l. 4. p . 803., P u r s h F l. A m e r . S e p t. t. 2. p . 6 1 9 ., S p r e n g . S y s t. Veg.
2 . p . 2 4 4 ., b u t n o t o f l l o r t . K e w . ; P . m o n il íf e r a H o r t . P a r . , N o u v . C o u r s , & c . ; C o t to n -w o o d ,
M ic h x . ; P e u p l i e r d e C a n a d a , F r . in N o u v . C o u r s d 'A g r i . e d i t . 1822, to m . x i. p . 4 07.
T h e Se.ves. W illd e n o w h a s s e e n t h e m a le l i v i n g ; B o s c s a y s t h a t o n ly th e f em a le i s in F r a n c e .
E n g r a v in g s . M ic h . A rb ., 3. t . 11. ; N o r t h A m e r . S y l,, 2 . t. 9 5 . ; a n d o u r f i g . 1499.
Spec. Char., 4*^. Young branches angled. Petiole compressed. Disk o f leaf
roundish ovate, deltoid, acuminate, subcordate a t th e base, where the re arc
glands, serrated with unequal te eth, glabrous. Th e branches are angular,
and the angles form whitish lines, which persist even in th e adult age o f the
tree. Th e tru n k is furrowed, even in old age ; less so than th a t o f P . angulàta,
more so than th a t o f P . monilífera. The young buds are gummy.
The catkins o f th e female are from 6 in. to 8 in. long.. (M ich x .) A large
tree. North America, in high rocky places between Canada and Virginia,,
an d about th e western lakes. Height 70 ft. to 80 ft. In tro d u c e d in 1769.
Flowers red ; April and May. Seeds ripe in Ju n e. Decaying leaves yellow.
In Britain, th e Canadian poplar used to be very commonly propagated
in nurseries, and extensively introduced into plantations ; but, within the last
30 years, th e black
Italian poplar (P .
monilífera) has
been substituted
for it. Bosc says
th a t th e Canadian
poplar approaches j
n ea re r to P . nigra [
than any o th e r ■
species ; and Michaux,
in 1840,
expressed to us
th e same opinion,
and in sh o rt th a t
it was difficult to
distinguish them.
1499. P . (n.) canadénsis. 1500. P. canadénsis.
Propagated by cuttings o f th e young wood, about 18 in. long, p u t in during
autumn. The first sboofs produced from th e se cuttings are always curved
at the lower extremity, though in a few years this curvature entii-ely disappears.
The same thing takes place witii th e cuttings o f P. monilífera.
¥ 9. P . ( ? N . ) 2? e t u l i f o ' l i a PuTsh. The Bii'ch-leavcd Poplar.
Id en tific a tio n . P u r s h F L A m e r . S e p t. , 2. p , 6 19. ; S p r e n g . S y s t. V e g ., 2 . p . 244.
" ■ ~ . p h u d s ó n i c a M ic h x . A r S y n o n ym e s . P . n i g r a M ic h x . F l. A m e r . B o r . 2. p . 2 _ , ........................................ b . 3. p. 293. t. 10.
f 1., N o r th A m e r . S y l. 2 . p . 2 30. ; P . h u d s o n if tiia B o s c , a u d L o d d . C a t. e d , 1836 ; A m e r ic a n b la c k
P o p l a r , A m e r . ; P e u p l i e r d e l a B a ie d ’H u d s o n , F r .
T k e Se.ves. I t is u n c e r t a i n w h e t h e r i t is th e m a le o r f em a le p l a n t t h a t i s in E u r o p e a n c o lle c t io n s .
E n g r a v in g s . M ic h x . A rb ., 3 . t. 10- f . 1 . ; M ic h x . N . A m e r . S y L , 2 . t . 96. f . 1
Spec. Char., 4’c. Young branches yellow. Branchlets
hairy v/hen young. Petioles yellow, and also hairy
when young. Disk o f leaf rhomboid, b u t much acuminated
; too th ed in every p a rt o f th e edge ; hairy on the
under surface when young, b u t afterwards glabrous.
The catkins are 4 in. to 5 in. long, and d e stitu te of the
hairs which su rround those o f several o th e r species.
(M ich x.) A tre e, found by Michaux on th e banks of
the river Hudson, a little above A lb an y ; and by
Pursh about Lake Ontario. H eig h t 30 ft. to 40 ft.
Introduced in ? 1780. Flowers ?.
; a n d o u r f i g . 1501.
Tolerably d is tin c t; and forming a small, neat, deep-
green-leaved tree, b u t in our opinion only a variety o f P.
nigra. M. Michaux, in 1840, acknowledged th e proba- 1501. p. (n.)ietuiifòiia.
bility o f this being th e case.
¥ 10. P. (? N . ) m o n i l i ' f e r a Ait.' The Necklace-bearing, or black Italian,
Poplar.
Id e n tific a tio n . A it. H o r t . K ew ., e d . 1 ., 3 . p . 406. ; P u r s h F L A m e r . S e p t ., 2 . p . 6 18.
S y n o n ym e s . P . v i r g in i à u a I . i n . , D e s f. H o r t. P a r . , D u m , B o t. C u lt, to m 6 . p. 4 0 0 ., N o u v . C o u r s
d 'A g r i. to m . 11. p . 407. ; P . g l a n d u lb s a M oe n c h M e th . p . 339. ; P . c a r o l in e n s i s M oe n c h W c is s e n s t.
B u r g s d . A n le it. 3 78. ; P . n i g r a i t á l i c a L o d d . C a t. e d it . 1830 ; P . n i g r a am e r ic a n a Ib id . ; P .