Populus.] LXXI. SALICINE^. 473 



scarce. In India the tree does not often flower, but specimens in young fruit 

 (collected in Kashmir by T. Thomson) are in Herb. Kew. The tree is leafless 

 in winter, and the leaves turn yellow before being shed. The pyramidal Poplar 

 in N.W. India has the same shape, and attains the same size (90 ft. high, 6-8, some- 

 times 10-12 ft. girth) as the Lombardy Poplar in Europe ; it is generally planted 

 as an avenue-tree — a very fine specimen of a poplar avenue is the one near Siri- 

 nagar in Kashmir, about a mile long, perfectly straight, lining a road which 

 runs east and west across the fine grassy plain towards the Takhti Suliman. Dr 

 Stewart estimated the number of trees at 1700 ; they are 90-105 ft. high and 6-7 

 ft. girth, many of the trees with dry branches at the top. In Ladak the trees 

 do not exceed 50-60 ft. 



The Lombardy Poplar, when old, has a furrowed and often twisted trunk ; 

 the baxk is grey, rough with numerous vertical cracks and fissures. The wood 

 is whitish brown, near centre very soft and light, even-grained ; its structure is 

 similar to that of F. alba. The weight of the Lombardy Poplar wood is between 

 24.9 and 27.4 lb., that of the round-headed black Poplar 24.3 to 32.4 lb. per 

 cub. ft. (NordUnger). In Afghanistan it is, like the white Poplar, used for grape- 

 boxes. In Europe the wood of the black Poplar is used for planking, packing- 

 cases, wooden shoes, and (in Italy) for window-blinds. Paper is also made of 

 it. The wood of the Lombardy Poplar, which is often knotty, is (in France) 

 sometimes used for veneering. The black Poplar pollards well. Both kinds 

 are rapid growers ; the black Poplar attains 80 ft. and a diam. of 2 ft. in 50 

 years ; they are always propagated from cuttings ; the black Poplar is useful to 

 fix the soil on slopes too dry for the Willow. In India the tree is often lopped 

 for cattle-fodder. 



2. P. alba, Linn. ; Hook. Stud. Fl. 335 ; Eeichenb. Ic. Fl. Germ. t. 614. 

 — White Poplar, Abele. Silber pappel, German; Feuplier Wane, French. 

 Vern. Sperdor, spelda, Aig. ; Chitta (white) bagnu, safedar, jangli frost, 

 fras, prist, rilckan, sannun, chanun, mal, Ph. 



A large tree, the current year's branchlets, buds, petioles, and under 

 side of leaves with dense white, soft, cottony tomentum. Leaves ovate, 

 with obtuse sinuate lobes, those of luxuriant shoots deeply 3-5-lobed, 

 blade 2-4, petiole 1-2 in. long, basal nerves 5, the midrib penniveined. 

 Catkins hairy; male flowers 4-10-androus. Female catkins : disc shallow, 

 entire, stigmas apparently 4, really 2, each of 2 linear lobes. Pedicels 

 longer than disc and shorter than ovary. Capsule short-pedicellate, 2- 

 valved. 



Wild and cultivated in the N.W. Himalaya between 4000 and 10,000 ft., on 

 the Jhelam, Chenab, and (planted only) in Kunawar above Mim and Poari, on the 

 Shayok in Chorbat as high up as Turtuk (9200 ft.) Planted in the Peshawar val- 

 ley, the trans-Indus territory, in the Panjab plains (not common), and in Sindh. 

 Wild and planted in Afghanistan, Beluchistan, North Persia, Caucasus, Siberia, 

 Songaria, Europe, North Africa. Flowers in early spring, before the leaves ; these 

 come out in March (in the plains). In India a moderate-sized tree, 30-40 ft. high, 

 girth 6, rarely 8 ft. In Europe often attains 100 ft., with a tall straight stem 50- 

 60 ft. long, and a diam. of 6-10 ft. Bark ^-f in. thick, light- or yellowish-grey, 

 smooth when young, getting darker and rough when old. Wood white, with a 

 reddish tinge, brown near the centre, soft and light, but even-grained. Not much 

 valued in India. In Afghanistan the shallow round boxes m which grapes are 

 packed for export to India are made of the wood of this species and of P. nigra. 

 The wood has numerous very fine medullary rays, and numerous small pores 



