Anyone unsure of Poplar ID then now can be a good time to check them out. These three are occasionally confused, I photographed them within a relatively small area on same morning. There were quite a few other examples of the same species so the order shown here is probably fairly reliable with the white poplar being a bit behind the other two species and even more covered in white than the grey poplar. The leaf shape of white does not show up so well as the leaves were still rather small.
Also have a couple of other poplar types to add as Milton Keynes has loads of them.
Some of the hybrid black poplars and balsam poplars are tricky to pin down to particular taxon. http://www.amanita-photolibrary.co.uk/trees/populus_trichocarpa_5148.htm Western balsam poplar in MK just incase I don’t manage to get photos of this species. P. lasiocarpa is fairly remarkable for huge leaves etc, there were several at Great Linford, most were cut down but one (shown here) appears to have been moved as quite a large tree, will see if it survives.
Yes Milton Keynes was probably the capital of Poplars in UK for about 50 years. Most of them have now been felled but there are still a reasonable range and enough to be annoying to anyone who suffers when the clouds of cottony seeds get into the eyes. It was a shame that the parks trust decided to fell the set of Populus lasiocarpa (with their 30cm+ long leaves) in the arboretum this winter to give a better view of the arts centre from passing canalboats but they can always be planted again somewhere.
What’s your view on Populus × plantierensis ? The Plant List says name unresolved .
The following from the entry on Black Poplar in Wikipedia:
The Plantierensis group consists of clones derived by crossing ‘Italica’ with P. nigra ssp betulifolia at the Plantières Nursery near Metz in France in 1884; they are similar to ‘Italica’ (and often mistaken for it) but with a slightly broader crown, and better adapted to the cool, humid climate of northwest Europe, where the true Lombardy poplar does not grow well. Both male and female clones are grown. This is the tree most commonly grown in Great Britain and Ireland as “Lombardy poplar”.
In our Bristol park we had a Lombardy Polar. It died some time ago but I have photos of it in its prime and post-prime. I could construct a post.
Testing with Add Observation Identification, I see, in the available drop down id, 3 options. Any suggestions as to where to find info on which would be the best id to use?
A nothospecies name (Populus ×plantierensis) would only be available if the parents are treated as belonging to separate species, and I haven’t seen anyone treating the British native black poplar as Populus betulifolia.
As a hybrid between ssp. nigra and ssp. betulifolia it could be treated as a nothosubspecies, i.e. Populus nigra nothossp. plantierensis, but I haven’t seen that combination made.
