This is the
5th in a series of Tree Climbing, and Identification caches around
central Ohio.
Be Safe,
Have fun.
White Poplar - Non
Native to Ohio
Populus alba
From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
Populus alba
(White Poplar) is a species of poplar, most closely related to the aspens
(Populus sect. Populus). It is native from
Spain and Morocco
through central Europe (north to Germany
and Poland) to central Asia. It grows
in moist sites, often by watersides, in regions with hot summers
and cold to mild winters.[1][2]
White Poplar leaves; underside left, upper side right
White Poplar trunk, showing the characteristic
diamond-shaped marks
It is a medium-sized deciduous tree, growing
to heights of up to 16-27 m (rarely more), with a trunk up to 1 m
diameter and a broad rounded crown. The bark is smooth
and greenish-white to greyish-white with characteristic
diamond-shaped dark marks on young trees, becoming blackish and
fissured at the base of old trees. The young 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 flowers
are catkins up to 8 cm long, produced in early
spring; they are dioecious, with male and female catkins on
separate trees; the male catkins are grey with conspicuous dark red
stamens, the female catkins are greyish-green. The female catkins
lengthen to 8–10 cm after pollination, with several
green seed capsules, maturing in late spring to early summer. It
also propagates by means of root
suckers growing from the lateral roots, often as far as 20-30 m
from the trunk, to form extensive clonal colonies.[2][3]
White Poplar hybridises 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). Most Grey Poplars in
cultivation are male, but female clones are occasionally
found.[2]
Cultivation and uses
It requires abundant light and ample moisture,
and stands up well to flood water and slightly acidic soils. Its
green-and-white leaves makes it an effective ornamental tree but the
root suckers may cause problems in some situations. It is very
attractive as an open-grown tree in water meadows, and, because of
its extensive root system and tolerance of salt, is also planted to
strengthen coastal sand dunes.[4]
The majority of White Poplars in cultivation in
northern Europe are female trees.[3]
White poplar was first introduced to North
America in 1748 and has a long history in cultivation.[1] It is now found in
forty-three states throughout the contiguous U.S.[2] It has come to be
considered weedy or invasive, and has been banned in
Connecticut.[3][4] US invasive state location
map
It has been introduced into North America,
especially along the east coast. It is a highly competitive tree
and was the most common introduced tree species on Cape Breton Island.[5]
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; syn. Populus bolleana) is sometimes
planted in parks.[2]
FTF Honors to Team_JNLE4
FTF (without ladder) Honors to brtruitt
Tree I.D. 01 - Catalpa
Tree I.D. 02 - Eastern Cottonwood
Tree I.D. 03 - Sycamore
Tree I.D. 04 - Osage Orange
Tree I.D. 05 - White Poplar
Tree I.D. 06 - Austrian Pine
Tree I.D. 07 & 08 - Red Mulberry & Honey Locust
Tree I.D. 09 ?
Tree I.D. 10 - Silver Maple
Tree I.D. 11 - American Sweet Gum
Tree I.D. 12 - White Ash
Tree I.D. 13 - Shagbark Hickory
Tree I.D. 14 - White Oak
Tree I.D. 15 - Hackberry
Tree I.D. 16 - Pin Oak
Tree I.D. 17 - London Planetree
Tree I.D. 18 - Weeping Willow
Tree I.D. 19 - Red Oak (non climber)
Tree I.D. 20 - Mockernut Hickory