172 



The Poplars 



cm. long or less, sharp-pointed and shining. The young leaves are sparingly and 

 finely hairy, becoming smooth, firm in texture, dark green and shining on the 

 upper side, pale green or brownish and finely netted- veined on the under surface; 

 they vary from ovate to ovate-lanceolate, and from 7 to 12 cm. long; the margins 

 are finely toothed, the apex pointed, often long-pointed, the base rounded, narrowed 

 or somewhat wedge-shaped, or some leaves occasionally subcordate; the round leaf- 

 stalks are 2 to 9 cm. long, the stipules small, white, and thin. The flowers ap- 

 pear in April or May. The catkins are 10 cm. long or less, their scales cut into a 

 fringe of filiform lobes; the stamens are 30 or fewer, the staminate catkins densely 

 flowered; the pistillate catkins are loosely flowered, the stigma-lobes much dilated 

 and the ovary smooth. The ripe capsules are ovoid, pointed, very short-stalked, 

 about 8 mm. long. 



The wood, which is Hght brown, soft, and weak, with a specific gravity of about 

 0.36, is used for pails, boxes, and paper-pulp. The tree is not much planted 

 south of its natural range, as it does not well endure hot summers. 



7. NARROW-LEAVED COTTONWOOD — Populus angnstdfoHa James 



This poplar occurs along streams from South Dakota to Assiniboia and the 

 Yukon Territory, south to Nebraska, New Mexico, Chihucihua, Ut£ih, and Nevada, 

 sometimes attaining a height of 20 meters, with a trunk 4 to 5 dm. thick. Its 

 branches are nearly upright. 



The bark is thick, light green, that at the bases of old trunks somewhat darker 



in color, rough or fissured. The round young 

 twigs are yellowish green and smooth, becom- 

 ing orange to gray. The sticky resinous buds 

 are ovoid, pointed, brown, the terminal ones 1.5 

 cm. long or less. The leaves vary from lan- 

 ceolate to ovate; they are pointed or bluntish, 

 very finely and bluntly toothed, firm in texture, 

 narrowed, wedge-shaped or rounded at the 

 base, bright green on the upper side, paler 

 green beneath, 5 to 12 cm. long, smooth or 

 very nearly so on both sides when mature ; they 

 are slightly hairy on the under side when un- 

 folding; the round leaf-stalks are one third the 

 length of the blades or less; the stipules are thin 

 and white, about 2 cm. long. The tree flowers 

 in April or May; the catkins are 2 to 6 cm. 

 long, densely flowered, their scales deeply cut into filiform lobes ; the stigma-lobes 

 are widely dilated, the ovoid smooth ovary somewhat 2-lobed. The ripe pistillate 

 catkins are 7 to 10 cm. long, the ovoid blimt-pointed capsules very short-stalked 

 and about 5 mm. long. 



Fig. 128. — Narrow-leaved Cottonwood. 



