amentifeRvT:. 195 



England. Tree. Spring. 



A tall tree, with the bark at first smooth and grey, but at lengtli 

 deeply fissured and rugged. Flowering branches nodose, witli 

 brownish bark; the stems of the suckers and barren shoots clothed 

 with grey pubescence. Buds brown, rather thinly covered with grey 

 hairs. Leaves of the suckers with the petiole shorter than the lamina; 

 the latter 2 to 4 inches long, ovate or deltoid-ovate, coi-date, coarsely 

 toothed, but the teeth seldom projecting into distinct lobes, the under- 

 side permanently clothed with greyish-white felted hairs. Leaves of 

 old trees (at least those of the flowering spurs) with the petiole as 

 long as or longer than the lamina, which is suborbicular or sometimes 

 transverse, coarsely sinuate-toothed and at length commonly glabrous 

 on both sides, but sometimes remaining grey beneath: in the former 

 case the leaves closely resemble those of P. tremula. Catkins appearing 

 before the leaves from buds on the last year's wood, sessile. Male 

 catkins pendulous, 2 to 4 inches long, with brown scarious laciniate 

 catkin-scales ciliated with long white hairs : stamens commonly 8, 

 but varying from 6 to 10. Female catkins 1 to 2 inches long when 

 in flower, elongating to 3 or 4 inches in fruit: stigmas varying, 

 even on the same catkin, from 4 to 8, on account of each of the two 

 being 2-, 3-, or 4 -partite. Capsules shortly stalked, ^ inch long, 

 lanceolate-ovoid. Seed-hairs pure white. 



Grey Poplar. 



Frencli, Feuplier grisdtre. German, Graue Fappel. 



This species is constantly confonndccl with the White Poplar, or Abele ; it is, how- 

 ever, distinguished by certain characters, which have popularly given to it the name 

 of the Grey Poplar. These distinctions are so permanent, that the botanist has no 

 hesitation in recognising the one as distinct from the other. Whilst Pojmlus alba has 

 a right to the name Abele, P. canescens is called Grey, or Common White Poplar. 

 The great distinction between the two species is that P. alba has the down on the 

 under surface of its leaves decidedly white, whilst P. canescens has a greyish down, and 

 is sometimes deficient of down underneath altogether. The two species are constantly 

 seen growing together, and then may be easily distinguished. The Grey Poplar is said 

 to be of much slower growth than the Abele, and the wood is on that account much 

 firmer. For all purposes where strength and durability are required the wood of the 

 grey poplar is preferred. On account of this superiority, this species has been exten- 

 sively cultivated in certain parts of England. It is very abundant in Norfolk, where 

 it was brought into notice by the late Mr. Crowe, who was well known as having 

 studied this genus and the allied one of Salix. The wood of this species is as white 

 as any of the species, and is used in France and Germany for many purposes 

 where lightness of weight and colour are desirable. It fo^;ms excellent packing- 

 cases, because nails may be driven into it without splitting. It is used by the turner 

 and cabinet-makei-, and a great many toys and small articles are made of it. The 

 boards and rollers around which pieces of silk are wrapped in shops and warehouses, 

 are made of this wood expressly for its lightness. In Britain the w^ood is extensively 



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