Woody > Populus > Populus alba > Populus alba
Populus alba
White Poplar
| Family |
| Salicaceae |
| Genus |
| Populus |
| Species |
| alba |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Tree (deciduous) |
| Pronunciation |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 3-8 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 3a |
| Temperature (°C) |
| -40 |
| Temperature (°F) |
| -38 |
| Height |
| 16-25 m |
| Spread |
| 10-15 m |
Photographs
Cultivars
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Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| A large, fast growing deciduous tree. Very distinct, so white it looks as if it’s covered in snow. Interesting bark and leaves. |
| Cultivation |
| Very easy to grow, very adaptable to different pH's, pollution and salt. Needs full sun, and prefers moist loam. Recovers well from injury. |
| Shape |
| Very irregular rounded crown |
| Growth |
| Fast |
| ID Characteristic |
| Leaves are wooly and white underneath. Twigs and buds wooly as well. Mature bark is white with black horizontal lenticels. Mature base is brown/grey and deeply furrowed. Irregular in crown shape. Often with a leaning trunk. |
| Pests |
| Aphids, poplar borer, scales, poplar canker, hypoxylon canker, septoria canker, red-humped caterpillar, branch gall, leaf spots, leaf rusts, powdery mildew, bronze birch borer, fusarium canker, cytospora canker, leaf blister, poplar tent maker. |
| Habitat |
| Temperate northern hemisphere. Very adaptable, but typically found in a sunny disposition. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| Mature bark is white with black horizontal lenticels, with a brown or grayish deeply furrowed base. Young bark is gray, rich brown or green. Twigs are covered in white wool. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
| Conical to ovate, overlapping, and pressed close to the stem. Light brown with wooly white covering. 5-6 mm in length. |
| Leaf Description |
| Two different shapes. Both are simple, alternate, 5-12 cm long, coarsely toothed, and dark green. Underside is white to grey and covered in a thick wool. Most common leaf is palmate with 3-5 lobes. Other is more elliptic-oblong to ovate. |
| Flower Description |
| Diocious, clusters of catkins. Female catkins are 8-10 cm in length. Male catkins are 5-8 cm long, with 5-10 stamens per flower, with purple anthers. |
| Fruit Description |
| Cotton like seed. Capsules are oval, green and dehiscent, with two valves. 5-7.5 mm long. |
| Colour Description |
| White or silver. No autumn colour. Observed leaves turning black on upper side in London, Ontario, during the autumn. |
| Texture Description |
| Coarse in dormancy, medium to coarse during the growing season. |
| Notable Specimens |
| Clark Road Secondary School, London Ontario. |
| Propagation |
| Cuttings can be successful, especially during the summer. Seeds will germinate immediately. Self propagation through root suckers. |
References
Straight species is not widely available in Ontario, although some cultivars are. The cultivar 'Raket' is available from Dutchmaster Nurseries Ltd. in Brougham, Ont.
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