78 FAMILIAR TREES 



popular names, both in France and in England, from 

 its abundance along the banks of the Po and the 

 other rivers of Lombardy, where at the present day it 

 grows readily from self-sown seed, which it will not do 

 in England. Considering that it was only introduced 

 into France in 1749, and into England in 1758, it is 

 interesting to note that William Turner, writing 200 

 years before, in his " Names of Herbes " (1548), says 

 of the genus :— 



"Populus is of two kyndes, the fyrste kynde is called in greeke 

 Leuce, in latin Populus alba, in englishe whyte poplar, or whyte 

 Esptree, in duch wisz sarbach. Thys kynde is commune about the 

 bankes of th.e floude Padus [the Po]. The seconde kynde is called 

 in greeke Argeiros, in englishe alone a popler, or an Asp tree, or a 

 blacke popler.'" 



Not many years before his " Names of Herbes " 

 was published. Turner travelled in Italy, and maj' 

 then have seen the true Lombardy Poplar ; but his 

 account does not show any more discrimination 

 between the species than was suggested to him by 

 the existence of two names in both the Greek and 

 the English languages. 



Like many quick-growing, spongy-timbered trees, 

 the Lombardy Poplar seems not to be by any means 

 a long-lived tree ; so that, though the artistic value of 



" The Poplars in long order due " 



may have been instinctively recognised at once, it is 

 very doubtful whether any specimens are still in 

 existence that date from the first^ few years of the 

 introduction of the species into England. A hundred 

 years, in fact, would seem to be a fair limit to state 



