Handbook of Tbees of tiik Nort'riiKTjN States and Canaha. 



97 



Tlie Loinbardy PO]]lar is the most distnitt 

 of tlio I'oplais in liahil of growth, and prob- 

 ably 111' otlu'r introdnceJ tree lias been more 

 widely planted for ornamental purposes. Its 

 tall spire-sliaped tops are land-marks in al- 

 most e\ery populated region from the Atlantic 

 to the Pacific and from the Canadian frontier 

 to the Jlexii-au boundary, and in siime Euro- 

 pean countries it is much more abundant than 

 here. It is a tree of very rapid growth and. 

 in our northern states, sliort-li\-ed, but once 

 planteil it siireads by means of suckers and 

 per^i-ts in the soil fnr generations, often be- 

 coming a nuisance in its alnindanee. Its dc- 

 sirabilily, li(i\\c\er, in landscape architecture, 

 as fur the relief of a monotonous sky-line, is 

 uiidis|ii;tcd. It someliines attains the height of 

 100 ft. with short ridged and l)uttressed trunk 

 (i-S ft, in diameter, and this latter measure- 

 ment is hardly more than doubled in the «iiltli 

 of its compact narrow to[i. BotanicaUy tlie 

 tree is a bone of contention. Its leaf and 

 floral characters are so close to those of the 

 European /'. iiir/ra Ij. tliat it is held by some 

 to be a sport of that s[:iecies. all e.\i>tiiig trees 

 having come from a i-ertain one or few trees 

 found growing somewdiere naturally many 

 years ago. Tliis theory would seciii in be sub- 

 stantiated l)y the fact that in this nniiitry at 

 least all of the trees are staminatc, re|)ro- 

 duction being effected by its stoloiiiferous 

 roots and fallen branches. The theory is mili- 

 tated against by the fact that its new shoots 

 are glabrous, while those of P. iiit/ia are 

 pubescent. I<"or convenience wc will vonsidcr 

 it a sport of the /-*. uifjia. It takes its nanu- 

 from the province of Eombardy in Italy, but 

 its hardiness in far colder climates than that 

 of Italy would indicate its origin in a more 

 iiortbciai rej^iou. Tt is thought to lane urigi- 

 natcd ill .\ fgbauist.ni where it is said to grow 

 naturally as a forest tree. 



The botaiiic.il characters, so far as we are 

 able to observe them by a study of the tree as 

 we have it in this country — the stamiuate 

 only, — are appai'eutly identical with those of 

 the /'. nigra, excepting its fastigiate habit of 

 growth and glabrous new shoots. 2 



1. S.vn. Populus dilatata Alt. 



2. For P. nigra L. see p. 427. 

 ■ 3. A. W., Ill, 7.3. 



