THE BLACK POPLARS. 21 



The principal hybrid black poplars are : — 



I. Populus angulata, Alton (1789). This has been cultivated 

 in England and France since 1750, always being popularly 

 known as the Carolina poplar. It was said by Michaux to be 

 common in the two Carolinas and the other southern States, 

 but it has never been recognised as a wild tree in any part 

 of America. It differs remarkably from B. deltoidea in the 

 scales of the flowers, which are small, cucullate or concave, 

 simply dentate and not divided on the margin into long filiform 

 lobes. The flowers, which occur in both sexes, are, however, 

 often malformed, and I formerly considered that P. angulata 

 was merely one of the forms of P. deltoidea which underwent a 

 mutation in its flowers after cultivation in Europe. Though 

 in most respects the leaves, which persist green on the tree 

 till late in November, are similar to those of P. deltoidea 

 var. missouriensis yet they are not identical, as they tend to 

 be longer than broad, rounded or acute (rarely acuminate) at 

 the apex, deeply cordate or truncate at the base, and are 

 glabrous except for the pubescent petioles. I now believe 

 that P. angulata originated as a seedling of a female P. nigra 

 typica, the flowers of which had been pollinated by a male 

 P. deltoidea missouriensis. The persistence of the leaves till late 

 in autumn is due to the southern origin of the male parent, 

 which was introduced into France from Carolina about 1700. 

 The latter tree, the true Carolina poplar, was soon neglected, 

 its place and name being taken by its more vigorous hybrid 

 offspring. 



There are a few fine examples of P. angulata in England, 

 the most remarkable being a very old tree at Danny Park, 

 Sussex, which has layered, producing a great number of 

 stems, and altogether covering an area over 150 yards in 

 circumference. The hybrid Carolina poplar is more suitable, 

 however, for the climate of the south of France and of northern 

 Italy, where it is common in avenues and in plantations. 



2. Populus serotitia, Hartig (185 1), otherwise Populus helvetica, 

 Poederle (1792). This, which is a male tree, is always known 

 in England as the black Italian poplar, and in France as 

 Peuplier Suisse or (erroneously) Peuplier de Virginie. It 

 appears to have been one of the earliest hybrid poplars to 

 be selected, being described by Duhamel in 1755, ^'^d 

 introduced into England before 1787. It has glabrous twigs 



