STUDIES OF TREES IN WINTER 



The wood is light and soft, and is used for 

 pulp, for making packing cases, and for fuel. 



The specific name, deltoides, comes from the 

 Greek, and alludes to the deltoid or triangular 

 shape of the leaves. The cottonwood grows 

 wild in Western New England, south to Florida 

 and westward. 



Beside these four poplars, the swamp cot- 

 tonwood (Populus heterophylla) is found grow- 

 ing wild at one place in Connecticut, and the 

 Lombardy and white poplars are both planted 

 commonly from Europe. 



The erect, rigid branches of the Lombardy 

 poplar and its general narrow, spire-like growth 

 make the outline of this tree so distinctive that 

 it is easily recognized, even in winter, at a great 

 distance. The buds are gummy, and the bark 

 of the trunk is deeply fissured. It is a tall 

 tree, often reaching one hundred and twenty 

 feet high. 



The white poplar may be distinguished by 

 its buds, which are not covered with sticky 

 coating like those of the other members of this 

 genus, and by the recent shoots, which are 

 downy. It is remarkable in summer for the 

 thick, white down on the under sides of the dark 

 green leaves, producing a most pleasing con- 

 trast in the foliage when the wind blows. 



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