AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST. II3 
Notes on Populus, Plinius. 
Ivar TIDESTROM. 
I. POPULUS ALBA. 
The genus Populus as understood by Plinius embraced three 
species, the concepts of which have in some measure survived to 
the present day. It is true, however, that the terminology has 
changed and that the word genus was applied to what is nowa- 
days considered a species, but the Plinian application of the word is 
after all a right one when judged from a strictly linguistic point 
of view. 
That Plinius understood the species (genera) and grouped 
these naturally, we may infer from the following citation from 
Historia Naturalis: Populi tria genera: alba ac nigra et quae Libyca 
appellatur, minima folio ac nigerrima fungisque enascentibus lauda- 
tissima. alba folio bicolor, superne candicans, inferiore parte viridi. 
huic nigraeque et crotomi in inventa circinatae rotunditatis sunt, 
vetustiora in angulos exeunt. (Plin. Hist. Ch. 16, 23. 
Of the above mentioned species the first two still bear the 
Plinian names; Populus alba and Populus nigra respectively. 
Populus Libyca has been cited by many pre-Linnean authors as a 
synonym of P ulus tremula. 
The name Populus is of uncertain origin. In the Slavic 
languages P. alba is known by the name topo! or topola ; and it is 
possible that the Latin name is an adaptation from some Oriental 
language as the species is held to be a native of Asia. According 
to Plinius Populus was dedicated to Hercules. This is evident 
from many passages in the works of the classic writers. 
“ Arborum genera numinibus suis dicata perpetuo servantur, 
ut Jovi Aesculus, Appollini Laurus, Minervae Olea, Veneri Myrtus, 
Herculi Populus." (Plin. Hist. 12.) 
That Populus alba in particular was dedicated to Hercules we 
gather from Virgilius and other writers: * * ‘‘ Herculea bicolor 
cum populus umbra | velavitque comas foliisque innexa pependit | e 
sacer implevit dextram scyphus.”’ Virg. Aen. 
“ Populus Alcidae gratissima, vitis [accho | formol gine myrtus 
Veneri, sua laurea Phoebo ;"' Virg. Ecl. 7. 
