White poplar is a fastgrowing, deciduous tree which reaches 60 to 100 feet in height with a 40 to 50footspread and makes a nice shade tree, although it is considered shortlived. Leaves tend to have silvery or white backsides and very long leaf stems that make them flop and twist in the wind. It is commonly known as the tulip tree, poplar, saddle leaf tree, white yellow poplar, etc. Their diamondshaped leaves change from bright green to blazing golden yellow, then they fall. The white color of the bark and white hairy underside of the leaves are what give this tree its name. Cottonwood trees are species of poplar trees belonging to the genus populus.
Department of agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9, is the fivelobed poplar leaf with a shiny, dark green top and a bright white bottom coming from a coating of hairs. Shape and size of leaves may vary even on the same poplar tree. The tall tree with the tulipshaped leaves and striking greenish yellow blossoms is the state tree of kentucky, indiana and tennessee. Cottonwood, poplar, and aspen populus fruits are cottony with tiny seeds. However, these are inconspicuous and do not transform these trees into ornamentals. One of the most fascinating tulip tree facts is that this tree is the state tree of three states, viz. This white coating stays until autumn, when the tree sheds its leaves, hence the name white poplar tree. The trees develop root suckers which emerge from the soil around the base of the trunk. The trees can grow anywhere from 50165 feet tall with trunks up to 8 feet in diameter. Tulip poplar tree facts, uses, and planting tips owlcation. White poplars were originally known as abeles and are also known as silverleaf poplars and silver poplars. These suckers can grow into new trees, forming a stand of closely growing aspens. Surface sow or just lightly cover the seed in trays in a cold frame. The importance of plants lies in their great contribution to human life and the environment.
The scientific name for white poplars is populus alba and is from the family salicaceae, the family of willows. White poplar populus alba british trees woodland trust. White poplar is a deciduous broadleaf tree which can grow to 20m. The latin name of this tree is liriodendron tulipifera. The tree likes sun to halfshade at the location and the soil should be sandy loamy to loamy.
White poplar populus alba the white poplar trees grows up to 20 meters and possesses bark that is light grey sometimes mistaken as white accompanied by black diamond like pores called lenticels. Populus alba, commonly called silver poplar, silverleaf poplar, or white poplar, is a species of poplar, most closely related to the aspens populus sect. Populus alba white poplar environmental horticulture university. The names can confuse you, as the tree is not a poplar and not a relation to the tulip flower. In some regions of the united states, tulip poplars can reach heights of 160 feet and higher.
The trunk of the white poplar tree has grayish white diamondshaped marks on a young tree, which turn black as the tree grows old. The tree is native to the northern hemisphere and the populas genus consists of about 2535 flowering deciduous plants. White poplar flowers are up to 8 cm 3 inch long cylindrical clusters known as catkins, with the female flowers being a yellow green colour, and the males are grey boasting a red stigma, and each tree only grows one gender of flower. White poplars have been introduced into north america, south africa and australia, and in some states and. Male trees are rare, so fertile catkins and seed are infrequent. The majority of white poplars in cultivation in northern europe are female trees. They are commonly triangular in shape, but may be more rounded. Its acorns provide food for numerous species of birds and mammals. Review of risks should be undertaken before selecting these trees for planting sites. Sep 21, 2017 yellow poplar is a tree with many nicknames like tuliptree, tulip poplar or whitewood. Bark of poplar tree can be white, light green, brownish or grey in color. The leaves are lobed and the flowers are greenish, red.
The flowers are mostly dioecious rarely monoecious and appear in early spring before the leaves. These large trees can grow to between 50 and 80 ft. Mar 15, 2019 the white poplar is the ultimate survivor tree and very difficult to dislodge once established. An identifying feature on white poplars populus alba, a toughasnails garden tree that thrives in u. Poplar, genus of some 35 species of trees in the willow family. White poplars have greenish, greyish and whitish trunks that can have a notable pattern of dark coloured diamonds, although as the tree ages, the trunk can. Quaking aspen has a much smaller trunk at up to 18 inches, with heights of this poplar reaching between 40 and 50 feet. Populus is a genus of 2530 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family salicaceae, native to most of the northern hemisphere. You are most likely to see four poplar varieties in the united states. Whether you are planting hybrid poplar trees or one of the popular varieties, youll find that poplar tree care is easy in the proper location. The importance of white poplar is high as its benefits are more and so are white poplar facts. White poplar grows as a mediumsized deciduous tree up to 20 m tall and sucker s freely. Poplar is deciduous tree that belongs to the family salicaceae. White poplar grows as a mediumsized deciduous tree up to 20 m tall and suckers freely.
The tulip trees, often referred to as a white or yellow poplar, is actually a type of magnolia. In the september 2006 issue of science, it was announced that the western balsam poplar p. White poplar was first introduced to north america in 1748 and has a long history in. The bark of the tree is generally light brown, greenish or grey in color. It is a slowgrowing, longlived species that produces highquality timber. White poplar is distinguished from other poplars by its threelobed leaves that are bright silverwhite on their undersides. The mature bark is gray to white with distinguishing dark diamond shape blotches. Twigs are slender, reddishbrown, and sometimes purplish, with many small specks lenticels. The white poplar tree is known as the whitest tree in a landscape and it looks like it is covered in snow all the time. Tulip tree is a tall, deciduous, longlived, broadleaf tree that grows about 190 feet 58 m, with a trunk 10 feet 3 m in diameter. Poplar seed has an extremely short period of viability and needs to be sown within a few days of ripening. It is native to morocco and the iberian peninsula through central europe north to germany and poland to central asia. Sep 21, 2017 native to the eastern elevations of north america, the tulip poplar tree liriodendron tulipifera is a deciduous tree that is also known as yellow poplar.
Lombardy poplar facts guide to lombardy poplar care in the. The roots of older poplars can surface after about 16 years, according to, which states that poplar roots have been seen surfacing 50 to 80 feet from the tree. People cultivate poplar tree because it grows quickly, provides enough shade and its. Distinctive fivelobed, dark green leaves have a white undersurface. Are poplar trees good or bad growing information and poplar.
Mar 09, 2014 white poplars grow to be a height of 16 to 27 metres 52. There are around 35 species of poplar trees that differ in size, shape of the leaves, color of the bark and type of habitat. White poplar is a large, fastgrowing, relatively shortlived tree for parks, golf courses and other large landscapes. The tree is a deciduous tree, it will be 20 30 m 66 99 ft high. It is a hardwood tree thats native to most of the eastern united states. It requires enough moisture, direct sunlight and soil. The white poplar is botanically called populus alba. As the trunks reach six inches in diameter, diamond shaped lenticels begin to populate the trunk, and over time the bole becomes gray in color. Often found growing in open, moist sites along waterways. Identifying the yellow poplar tree in north america. White poplar grows between 50 and 75 feet tall on average. Twigs are white, and young twigs have a covering of dense white hair that lasts until their second year. It is part of the magnolia family and one of the most stately trees in the eastern forests, says the floridata website. Silverleafed poplar is one of the three dozen or so species of poplars found in the northern hemisphere.
The dark green, lobed leaves have a fuzzy, white underside which gives the tree a sparkling effect when breezes stir the leaves. The white poplar populus alba is an introduced european native, but since colonial times has become part of the landscape of southern canada and much of the united states. It has first leaves that are tomentose on the abaxial surface of the blades with whitegray hairs and blade margins with 4 68 large, blunt teeth only rare blades show any sign of the lobing of p. Eastern cottonwood is a potentially massive specimen, growing sometimes well over 100 feet, with trunks as wide as 4 feet. Yellow poplar or tulip poplar is the tallest hardwood tree in north america with one of the most perfect and straight trunks in the forest.
Some species of cottonwood trees have been known to reach heights of 100 ft. Most leaves are oval or heartshaped, finely toothed on the edges. This poplar produces fuzzy white buds in spring that transform into the elongated catkins later in the year. It is also tolerant of urban pollution, making it a useful city tree, but its shallow roots can buckle sidewalks. Yellow poplar has a unique leaf with four lobes separated by rounded notches. The tree is native to central and southern europe, western siberia and central asia. One of these is the white or silverleafed poplar populus alba, a beautiful tree by many standards, but a train wreck when planted in the garden. The tulip poplar is also known as the tulip tree or the yellow poplar.
White poplar populus alba general description medium to tall tree sometimes confused with silver maple since the leaves on long shoots are mapleshaped, while leaves on short shoots are more like aspen leaves in shape. Populus tremuloides populus heimburgeri boivin is a rare poplar hybrid that is known from ma. Feb 09, 2018 best offers for your garden tulip tree facts. It grows in moist sites, often by watersides, in regions with hot summers and cold to mild winters. Every gardener must look for the required information on this plant before planting it. It is not a member of the poplar family populus sp.
Lombardy poplars in landscapes develop small flowers in spring. It is not a true poplar tree but instead is a member of the magnolia tree family. One of the most important poplar tree facts is the sheer size of. Poplar tree can be found throughout northern hemisphere north america, europe, asia and north africa. Trees have a mostly upright habit, with trunks white while young the source of the white poplar name and resembling a nonpeeling white barked birch. Lombardy poplar tree facts tell you that the trees are deciduous. English names variously applied to different species include poplar.
The quaking aspen tree is a pioneer species that can quickly colonize areas recently cleared areas. Its ordinary height is 70 feet 21 m to 100 feet 30 m. The balsam poplar populus balsamifera is the northernmost of all hardwood trees in the western hemisphere, notes the national audubon society field guide to trees. Trees have a mostly upright habit, with trunks white while young the source of the white poplar name and resembling a nonpeeling whitebarked birch. As a result, the aspen poplar branching pattern creates tall, narrow trees. Poplars need fertile soil, acidic or neutral, as well as direct sun and sufficient water to keep their roots moist.
Two wellknown poplar species of eurasia are the white and black poplars. White poplars are deciduous trees from the poplar species and are native to central europe and asia. Are poplar trees good or bad growing information and. These are some of the distinguishing features of the white poplar tree. The poplar tree is also commonly called the aspen or the cottonwood.