AMENTIFERE. 195 
England. Tree. Spring. 
A tall tree, with the bark at first smooth and grey, but at length 
deeply fissured and rugged. Flowering branches nodose, with 
brownish bark; the stems of the suckers and barren shoots clothed 
with grey pubescence. Buds brown, rather thinly covered with grey 
hairs. Leaves of the suckers with the petiole shorter than the lamina; 
the latter 2 to 4 inches long, ovate or deltoid-ovate, cordate, coarsely 
toothed, but the teeth seldom projecting into distinct lobes, the under- 
side permanently clothed with greyish-white felted hairs. Leaves of 
old trees (at least those of the flowering spurs) with the petiole as 
long as or longer than the lamina, which is suborbicular or sometimes 
transverse, coarsely sinuate-toothed and at length commonly glabrous 
on both sides, but sometimes remaining grey beneath: in the former 
case the leaves closely resemble those of P. tremula. Catkins appearing 
before the leaves from buds on the last year’s wood, sessile. Male 
catkins pendulous, 2 to 4 inches long, with brown scarious laciniate 
catkin-scales ciliated with long white hairs: stamens commonly 8, 
but varying from 6 to 10. Female catkins 1 to 2 inches long when 
in flower, elongating to 3 or 4 inches in fruit: stigmas varying, 
even on the same catkin, from 4 to 8, on account of each of the two 
being 2-, 3-, or 4-partite. Capsules shortly stalked, 1 inch long, 
lanceolate-ovoid. Seed-hairs pure white. 
Grey Poplar. 
French, Peuplier grisdtre. German, Graue Pappel. 
This species is constantly confounded with the White Poplar, or Abele; it is, how- 
ever, distinguished by certain characters, which have popularly given to it the name 
of the Grey Poplar. These distinctions are so permanent, that the botanist has no 
hesitation in recognising the one as distinct from the other. Whilst Populus alba has 
a right to the name Abele, P. canescens is called Grey, or Common White Poplar. 
The great distinction between the two species is that P. alba has the down on the 
under surface of its leaves decidedly white, whilst P. canescens has a greyish down, and 
is sometimes deficient of down underneath altogether. The two species are constantly 
seen growing together, and then may be easily distinguished, The Grey Poplar is said 
to be of much slower growth than the Abele, and the wood is on that account much 
firmer. For all purposes where strength and durability are required the wood of the 
grey poplar is preferred. On account of this superiority, this species has been exten- 
sively cultivated in certain parts of England. It is very abundant in Norfolk, where 
it was brought into notice by the late Mr. Crowe, who was well known as having 
_ Studied this genus and the allied one of Saliz. The wood of this species is as white 
as any of the species, and is used in France and Germany for many purposes 
where lightness of weight and colour are desirable. It forms excellent packing- 
eases, because nails may be driven into it without splitting. It is used by the turner 
and cabinet-maker, and a great many toys and small articles are made of it. The 
boards and rollers around which pieces of silk are wrapped in shops and warehouses, 
are made of this wood expressly for its lightness. In Britain the wood is extensively 
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