Handbook of Trees of the !N"oetitern States and Canada. 105 



The Balsam Poplar sometimes attains in the 

 forest a height of 100 ft. and a trunk diameter 

 of 5 or 6 ft. When isolated from other trees 

 it develops a rather narrow irregular pyra- 

 midal open top of few large branches, and its 

 parti-colored leaves, as their dark green upper 

 surfaces and light under surfaces show suc- 

 cessively as moved by the wind, make it a 

 handsome object. It is distinctly a northern 

 tree, thriving and attaining its largest size 

 along the banks of the streams which are tribu- 

 tary to the Mackenzie River in a climate too 

 severe for the existence of most other trees. 

 In those cold regions this is the largest and 

 most characteristic tree. It is confined mainly 

 to alluvial bottom-lands and borders of 

 swamps, and in our northern states, where it 

 finds its southernmost limit of distribution, 

 is by no means as large a tree as it is to the 

 northward. 



Its wood is soft and light, a cubic foot when 

 absolutely dry weighing 22.65 lbs., and in the 

 region of the Great Lakes and northern Michi- 

 gan is u.sed for paper pulp, and in the manu- 

 facture of boxes, pails, etc.i 



Leaves 3-6 in. long, ovate, rounded or broadly 

 cnneate at base with creoate-serrate slightly 

 thickened margin, acute or acuminate at apex, 

 dark glabrous green above, much paler and con- 

 spicuousl.y reticulated-veined and sometimes rusty 

 beneath : petioles long, terete ; winter buds large, 

 taper-pointed and very resinous. Flowers (in 

 April)-; scales of aments scarious. brown, lacine- 

 ate lobed ; stamens 20-30 ; ovary ovoid, slightl.v, 

 2-iobed and with 2 large dilated stigmas. Fruit 

 (ripe in May) with ovoid oblong 2-valved short- 

 podiceled capsules ; capsules about Vi in. long. 



1. A. W., II, 47. 



