Populus J ^43 



P. laurifolia appears to be confined ' to the Altai mountains ; and little 

 is known of its habit in the wild state. It is said to be often planted as a street 

 tree in northern Russia, and apparently thrives in Sweden, where I saw two fine 

 trees in the public park at Gefle, about 70 ft. by 5 ft., in 1908. 



Though introduced in Loudon's time, it has always been a scarce tree in 

 England ; and the only specimen which we know of considerable size is a tree 

 at Kew, about 30 ft. high, with a furrowed bark, a crooked stem, and pendulous 

 branches and branchlets. There is also a small stunted tree at Beauport, Sussex. 

 This poplar is only suitable for cultivation in this country as a curiosity in botanic 

 gardens ; but it is said 2 to bear pruning well, and on the continent is often 

 trimmed to form pyramidal and globose shrubs. 



P. laurifolia is supposed to be one of the parents of the four hybrids which 

 follow. 



I. Populus Wobstii, Schroeder, ex Dippel, Laubkolzkunde, ii. 207 (1892). 

 This poplar, of which I have only seen branches sent me by Spath, has glabrous 



branchlets, slightly ribbed and marked with orange lenticels. Buds very viscid. 

 Leaves (Plate 410, Fig. 32), 4 to 6 in. long, about 2 in. broad, lanceolate, widest 

 about the middle, rounded but narrow at the base, gradually tapering towards the 

 blunt acuminate apex, slightly pubescent on the midrib and veins, very white beneath, 

 ciliate and crenately serrate in margin ; lateral nerves pinnate at the base ; petioles 

 with a few scattered hairs. 



Its origin is unknown; 8 but it is possibly a hybrid of P. laurifolia with P. 

 tristis, as surmised by Schneider, Laubkolzkunde, i. 16 (1904). According to Spath 

 it is slow in growth, and apparently has little to recommend it, except as a curiosity 

 in botanical gardens. I have seen no living specimens in England. 



The remaining three hybrid poplars show P. laurifolia parentage in the peculiar 

 greyish yellow colour of the branchlets, which are slightly ribbed. The other parent 

 is one of the black poplars, from which the leaves derive the translucent border to 

 their margin, which is, however, very narrow, and can only be made out on careful 

 examination. The foliage and buds have merely a feeble balsamic odour, and the 

 under surface of the leaves is only slightly whitish, being in these respects inter- 

 mediate between the balsam and the black poplars. 



II. Populus rasumowskyana, Schroeder, in Regel, Puss. Dend. 133 (1889). 

 Young branchlets glabrous, angled, with projecting ridges and numerous white 



lenticels. Buds viscid, sharp-pointed. Leaves on young trees on vigorous shoots, 

 4 in. long, 3 in. wide, orbicular-ovate, rounded or subcordate at the base, contracted 

 above into a gland-tipped acuminate apex, glabrous except for slight pubescence at 



1 The Chinese specimens referred to this species in/ourn. Linn. Soc. (Bot.) xxvi. 536 (1899), appear to be P. Simonii. 



2 Cf. Ascherson and Graebner, Syn. Mittcleurop. Fl. iv. 47 (1908). 



3 P. Wobstii appears as a novelty in Spath's Catalogue, No. 76, p. to8 (1889-1890) ; and in his Catalogue, No. 95, 

 p. 100 (1894-1895), is said not to be a hybrid, but a narrow-leaved form of P. suaveolens ; but Schneider controverts this, 

 while admitting the possibility of its being a distinct species. 



