Populus 1807 



POPULUS MONILIFERA, Canadian Black Poplar 



Populus monilifera,^ Aiton, Hort. Kew. iii. 406 (1789); Willdenow, Sp. Pi. iv. 805 (1805); 



Watson,^ Dendr. Brit. ii. t. 102 (1825) (excl. the staminate flowers); Hartig, Naturges. 



Forstlich. Culturpfl. 436 (1851).^ 

 Populus virginiana,'^ Fougeroux de Bondaroy, in MSm. d'Agric. Paris, 1786, i. p. 87 (1787). 

 Populus canadensis,^ Michaux, Hist. Arb. Amer. iii. 297, t. 11 (181 3); Loudon, Arb. et Frut. Brit. 



iii. 1655 (1838) (not Moench, Hartig, or Koehne). 

 Populus deltoides,^ Sudworth, in Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, xx. 44 (1893) (in part). 

 Populus deltoidea,^ Sargent, Silva N. Amer. ix. 179, t. 494 (1896), and Trees N. Amer. 163 (1905) 



(in part). 



A tree, attaining in America 100 ft. in height and 20 ft. in girth. Bark deeply 

 divided into broad rounded scaly ridges. It is readily distinguishable in cultivation 

 from P. angulata by its different foliage and the less angular branchlets, which are 

 rarely marked with projecting ribs, but are similar in their greenish colour, with 

 white lenticels. Buds brownish, viscid. Leaves (Plate 409, Fig. 14) smaller than 

 in P. angulata, and broader in proportion to their length, averaging 3 in. in width, 

 deltoid-ovate, abruptly cuspidate-acuminate at the apex ; base wide, shallowly cordate, 

 occasionally truncate ; glabrous, marked at the base of the blade by two glands ; 

 margin with a narrow translucent border, densely ciliate, with sinuate serrations fewer 

 and coarser than in P. angulata, absent on the base and at the apex, their glandular 

 tips being incurved ; petiole laterally compressed. 



I Catkins about 3 in. long ; axes and pedicels glabrous ; scales large, dilated at 

 their apex, and irregularly divided into filiform lobes. Stamens 40 to 60 ; disc 

 broad, orbicular or quadrate, oblique. Pistillate flowers ; disc broad, cup-shaped ; 

 ovary sub-globose, 3- or 4-celled with 3 or 4 stalked dilated lobed stigmas. 



1 This is the oldest certain name for the northern form of the American black poplar, which is represented in the British 

 Museum by a specimen from Fothergill's garden bearing staminate flowers, labelled P. monilifera in Solander's hand-writing. 

 Fothergill lived 1712-1780, and his garden was at Upton, Westham. 



2 Watson figures a pistillate tree, growing at Kew in 1822, which was certainly the American species ; but is no longer 

 living, most of the poplars planted at Kew in early days having died or been removed. Watson mentions also a pistillate tree 

 at Cottingham, near Hull, the only other specimen which he had seen. The staminate trees which he refers to as being 

 plentiful were P. seroHna. 



^ Cf. P. carolinensis, Moench, p. 1810, note. 



* Populus virginiana, according to Fougeroux, was a pistillate tree, usually named in collections " Peuplier de Canada," 

 and very sensitive to frost when young. He probably meant the true northern species. Usually in France, the " Peuplier de 

 Virginie " was a synonym of the " Peuplier Suisse," the hybrid P. serotina. Fougeroux's name is wrongly used vajoum. Bot. 

 1. 132 (1912). 



5 Michaux's name, P. canadensis, is accompanied by an accurate description. P. canadensis, Moench, Baume Weiss. 

 81 (1785), identical with P. latifolia, Moench, Meth. 338 (1794), is possibly one of the female hybrids, P. regenerata or 

 P. marilandica, but must remain a doubtful name. These names of Moench are supposed by Dode, op. cit. 65 (1905), to 

 indicate P. candicans, but this is improbable, as Moench clearly describes the latter species as a variety of P. balsamifera with 

 cordate leaves. P. canadensis is usually erroneously applied by Continental botanists to the various hybrid poplars which 

 are commonly met with in cultivation. See pp. i8i6, 1824, 1828. It is wrongly used for the Black Italian Poplar in 

 Joum. Bot. 1. 132 (1912). 



6 Both these names, deltoides and deltoidea, are modifications of Populus deltoide, Marshall, Arb. Amer. 106 (1785). 

 This is an incomplete description of a poplar growing on the banks of large rivers in Carolina and Florida, and is perhaps 

 meant for P. angulata. Dode, op. cit. 40 (1895), says : "Quant a la notation deltoidea, il semble absolument impossible de 

 lui donner un sens quelconque, Marshall ne I'ayanl fait suivre que de quelques mots equivoques." 



