THE POPLARS. 



127 



Downy Poplar. Tlie downy poplar is distinguished 



Fopuiud by its leaves, which, downy when 



e erop iy a. voun g an( j becoming smooth on both 



sides when older, still retain the down an the veins 



beneath. The leaf 

 is also quite 

 blunt at the end, 

 never tapering to a 

 point, and the teeth 

 obtuse, with an in- 



Downy Poplar. 



ward curve. The tree 

 grows from 40 to 80 feet 

 high, and is rather rare. It 

 will be found on the borders of swamps 

 from Connecticut to southern Illinois 

 and southward. 

 The cottonwood, or Carolina poplar, 

 is a very large tree of rapid growth, 



Cottonwood. 

 Carolina Poplar. 



Populus moniUfera, 



Popuius-ddtoides. varying from 60 to 150 feet in height. 

 In the Mississippi Valley and immediately west it 

 borders every stream. It can also be found, but not in 

 great plenty, from western New England to Florida. 

 The leaf is similar in character to those of the poplars 

 already described, except that it is quite smooth, glossy, 

 nearly as wide as it is long, and sometimes has in- 

 curved, slightly hairy teeth ; this last is hardly a very 



common characteristic, but it is observable in many 

 10 



