POPULUS 57 



smooth, 6-12 cm. long; staminate catkins 6-10 cm. long, 1-2 cm. wide, 

 stamens 30-60, bracts cut and fringed; fruiting catkins 10-20 cm. long, 

 capsules ovate, finely warted, 10-14 mm.; d e 1 1 o i d e s, delta-like, in 

 reference to the leaves. 



Common throughout the southern half of the state, often forming 

 extensive woods on flooded lowlands, rarer northward; Quebec-Fla-NM- 

 Colo-Alberta. One of the commonest of cultivated trees in America, and 

 widely grown in Europe ; its rapid growth and massive habit make it 

 desirable for planting in newly settled regions, but it is less satisfactory 

 in cities. The staminate tree is especially attractive on account of its 

 red-brown catkins, and should alone be planted in cities, in order to 

 avoid the shower of cottony seeds produced by the pistillate tree. 



Wood dark brown, light, soft, weak, close-grained, weight 24 lbs. ; 

 extensively used during the development of the Middle West, but now 

 used only for fuel, packing boxes, and wood pulp, or locally for lumber. 



Populus nigra italica Du Roi 1771 Lombardy Poplar 



Tall pyramidal tree, 50-100 ft. high, 2-4 ft. diam. ; bark yellowish, 

 then gray to brown, deeply furrowed ; branches upright, appearing on all 

 parts of the trunk; leaves broadly wedge-shaped, often much broader 

 than long, margin wavy-toothed, short to very long-pointed, base trian- 

 gular to truncate, smooth on both surfaces, 5-10 cm. long, 5-10 cm. wide, 

 petioles flattened, 4-6 cm. long ; staminate catkins 3-6 cm. long, stamens 

 20-25, fruiting catkins 5-10 cm. long, capsules ovoid, blunt; italica, 

 Italian, in reference to its home in Lombardy. 



Frequently cultivated throughout the state except in the north, rarely 

 spontaneous. A short-lived tree, especially liable to winter-killing and 

 not desirable for planting in dry or cold northern climates. 



The wood is of little value. 



Populus angustifolia James 1823 Narrowleaf Cottonwood 



Medium tree, 30-60 ft. high, 6-8 in. diam. ; bark smooth and yellow- 

 ish ; leaves narrowly ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, or nearly linear, edge 

 minutely wavy-toothed, tip rounded or tapering, usually blunt, base usu- 

 ally tapering, rarely rounded, smooth, 5-15 cm. long, 1-4 cm. wide, 

 petioles smooth, 1-4 cm. long; staminate catkins 4-6 cm. long, bract? 

 deeply cut into many fine lobes; fruiting catkins 5-7 cm. long, capsules 

 2-valved, ovate, wrinkled ; angustifolia, narrow-leaved. 



Rarely planted in parks: Assiniboia-Nebr-NM-Nev. 



