Black Poplar?

[flaxton]

Hi Can anyone confirm that this is a Black Poplar. All the descriptions I have say it should have large swellings on the trunk so I don't know if that makes is a different variety or species. It is about 4.5 meters girth.




Thanks
Mal

[Adam Cheeseman]

It's a type of Black Poplar. It's not a native betulifolia, probably something like a Manchester or Railway hybrid. The leaves are too large and are slightly the wrong shape.

Cheers,

Adam

[Dorts]

Black Poplar - Populus nigra subsp. betulifolia, generally has large burrs, but occasionally these aren't prominant.
The leaves of P. nigra do not have any 'balsam' smell. They are serrate with many small teeth. A species that prefers to be near streams or ponds or on a flood-plain
This tree could be a Black Poplar (or hybrid), but that is by no means certain as there are other possibilities.
Dorts.

[poschiavanus]

I too don't think it's native Black Poplar. My reasons:

• Bole not burred enough, little epicormic growth.
• Trunk is straight, most examples of betulifolia tend to lean (even when planted in dry places).
• The branches do not show the characteristic 'S' shape of betulifolia

The jizz in the overall view just doesn't look right. I'm sure I've got one or two photos of native poplars I'll try and fish them out.

[flaxton]

Thanks folks. I think I will go with a Poplar hybrid but still hope I can persuade the powers that be that it should not be chopped down for "elf and safety" grounds. Pholiota squarrosa growing at the base is not going to kill it.

Mal

[Brocakat]

Populus nigra var. * betulifolia IS the British native Black Poplar. Known in the North-West of England as the "Manchester Poplar".

Alan Mitchell recommended the name "Railway Poplar" for P. 'Regenerata'.

Unfortunately in the example picture of the leaf - there is nothing ( e.g. a 50 pence piece ?) that relates the size of the leaf to a given size. Also basal leaves can be much larger than leaves which originate from the crown proper.

I quote now from Alan Mitchells' Field Guide:- Leaf unfolds pale Brownish-green or Khaki , soon Bright glossy-green,, deltoid to ovate-deltoid,abruptly
short-acuminate [ meaning Tapering at the end, long pointed ] / long-acuminate or acute [ Sharp-pointed ] , 5-8 x 6-8 cm, with forward, curved, hooked teeth, and thickened,tranlucent margins.
Underside pale green,reticulate [ meaning like a network (as in veins) ]
Petiole [ stalk ] flattened.
Autumn colour - Soft Yellow.
Sheds its white,woolly seeds in June.


I noted from the photo that the teeth on the leaf-edge appear to be -- Forward-Pointing curved/hooked. This feature by no means makes is a definate ID -- P. ' Robusta ' & ' Regenarata 'also have this, amongst others.

As above the girth written as 4.5m , therefore the Diameter Breast Height (dbh) is estimated as = 1.432 metre / 4.70 ft. I have seen native Black Pops with 1.5 X this diameter ! ( 7.0 ft.) Meaning that I believe the above example might be some such an example of a not-fully-mature Native Black Poplar : the bosses or burrs which make this species distinctive still IMO have time to develop. )

The lack of epicormic growth may or may not have something to do with the trees situation:- from the photo it appears to be in an open field , and such growth may be browsed-off on a regular basis by cattle, horses etc.

( * Short for variety - this does not always mean this means a Nursery-developed variety, it also means regional [in the case of the British Black Poplar, Northern & Western Europe ] variety. )

I'd suggest its a nearly-but-not-quite mature Populus nigra var.betulifolia.

Let's see when it looses its 'fluff'




Jizz ?