THE ABELE 35 



quantity of the first syllables of the two Latin words, 

 pdpulus, the people, and populus, a Poplar tree^ may 

 hide a real identity of etymology. Whatever the 

 origin of the name, this group of trees gained by 

 it what, in spite of the pun, we must term popularity, 

 at the time of the French Kevolution. 



The genus is almost confined to the north tem- 

 perate zone, a few species extending a little farther 

 north, whilst within their area of distribution they 

 occur very generally, especially in moist ground and 

 along the banks of rivers. 



Opinions differ as to the limits of the species in 

 this genus ; but, besides various American forms now 

 common in cultivation, we have in England, and in 

 fact, throughout Europe, five readily distinguishable 

 types — viz. the Abele or White Poplar, the Grey 

 Poplar, the Aspen, the Black Poplar, and the Lom- 

 bardy Poplar. Of these, the two first should, 

 perhaps, be classed as sub-species of one species, and 

 the two last-named, neither of which is truly in- 

 digenous, should almost certainly be so treated. 

 Perhaps the best point of difference is the stigma; 

 but the lover of trees, who may be but a tyro in 

 botany, will be glad of other means of recognising 

 the objects of his attention. The three first forms 

 agree in having downy shoots, dense female catkins, 

 bracteal scales fringed with hairs, and stamens 

 varying in number from four to twelve in each male 

 floret. They have, therefore, been grouped together 

 in a section known by the name of Leu'ce, the Greek 

 appellation of the White Poplar. The two last, on 

 the other hand, have their young shoots smooth, 



