Tree of the day: Populus nigra betulifolia, Black poplar, Park House Lodge
Populus nigra betulifolia is a species of deciduous broadleaf flowering plants (in the Salicaceae or Willow family), native to north-western Europe.
Populus nigra betulifolia is a species of deciduous broadleaf flowering plants (in the Salicaceae or Willow family), native to north-western Europe. It is the native subspecies of Populus nigra, which is found in much of western Eurasia. The columnar Lombardy Populus nigra cultivar is also present in Whiteknights Park. Populus nigra betulifolia prefers boggy ground in floodplains and wetlands, and supports a variety of wildlife. However, it has become very rare, with only a few thousand in the country; hybrids of Populus nigra with other Populus species are much more common.
Populus nigra betulifolia is an imposing tree, which can can grow up to around 30 metres tall, with a broad, spreading crown. Its bark is grey-brown and furrowed, typically with burrs (regions where the bark seems knotted or lumpy). The wood is soft, low-density, shock-resistant, and light brown to almost white in colour. Its leaves are green, triangular and tapered. As with all Populus species, male and female flowers are found on separate trees and appear as catkins in spring. Male catkins are red, female yellow-green and pollinated by the wind.
about this species
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This photo is one of 9403 photos of 877 trees in 334 species
This website is a virtual arboretum, created for interest, education and beauty. It exhibits some of the thousands of trees, of both native and exotic species, that grow in Whiteknights Park, the main campus of the University of Reading. Many of them have been planted since the university arrived in 1947, but some have been here since the 19th century or earlier, when Whiteknights was the gardens and parkland of large houses. More than a hundred of the trees are listed in The Tree Register, nine as British Isles champions (the largest or tallest of their species).
Please send any comments about this website to whiteknights-trees@reading.ac.uk.
The previous version of this website is here.
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank: Rupert Taylor, Owen Johnson, Alastair Culham, Jonathan Mitchley, Jordan Bilsborrow, Marcus Wheeler, Benoît Vannière, Miguel Teixeira and Claire Hawkins for tree identifications; Brian Hunt and Trevor Smith for testing routes and contributing text; Dylan Parkes, Martin Watts, Emilija Rudzinskaite, Brian and Trevor for collaboration on the centenary project; Dan Hodson for useful code examples; Studio Lift for website style; Brian, Trevor and Nathanaël van Twillert for comments and suggestions on website user experience; Benoît, Marcus, Steve George, Mark Wrightham, Brian, Trevor, the Friends of the University of Reading, and other friends for their encouragement during the development of the website; the University and its grounds staff for maintaining Whiteknights Park.