THE WHITE POPLAR, 



OR ABELE (Populus Alba). 



|jS a young tree the White Poplar bears some resemblance 

 to the Black Poplar. The trunk, however, has not the 

 same unbroken line, and in the fully-grown tree the 

 predominance of the main boughs over the smaller 

 branches (so characteristic a feature of the Black Poplar at every stage) 

 becomes less marked ; they sub-divide more frequently, and gradually 

 dissipate their superior size amongst many tributaries. Another dis- 

 tinguishing feature is the colour of the bark. The Black Poplar 

 has rough dark bark ; the other a smooth pale-grey bark, pitted 

 with lozenge-shaped marks, which are divided vertically by a slight 

 red-brown incision. These marks are grouped in patches and hori- 

 zontal rows, and form rings, which accentuate the roundness of the 

 trunk. At the lower part of the bole the diamond-shaped marks 

 disappear, the incisions become deeper, and the bark forms vertical 

 cork-like ribs between them. The upper part of the trunk and the 

 branches retain their smooth surface. The tree is of very rapid 

 growth, and attains a height of seventy to one hundred feet. The 

 timber, like that of the Aspen, is white, soft and light, and does 

 not burn easily. Like the Aspen also, the roots are given to sending 

 up suckers for a considerable area round the trunk. Botanists are 

 undecided whether the tree is * indigenous, or imported from Holland. 



THE LEAVES. 



The opening buds are downy, and of a pinkish-white colour. The 

 new shoots have a tinge of purple, and, like the young leaves, are 

 at first thickly coated with white down, a covering which is retained 

 on the upper surface for a month or so : on the under-side it 

 remains on to maturity, and its whiteness contrasts with the dark 



