Handbook of Trees of the Northeen States and Canada. 107 



The Swamp Poplar where conditions are 

 favorable for best development, in the lower 

 Mississippi Valley, attains a height of 80 or 

 90 ft., with straight columnar trunk 2-3 ft. in 

 diameter vested in a grayish brown bark with 

 prominent scaly ridges, and develops an open 

 irregular top with few large branches. In the 

 Atlantic states it rarely attains a greater 

 height than 40 or 50 ft. Here it is rare and 

 local and is confined to the borders of ponds 

 and swamps more or less permanently in- 

 undated. In the Mississippi basin it is more 

 abundant, and it is found in company with the 

 Honey and Water Locusts, Mississippi Hack- 

 berry, Swamp White Oak, Red and Drummond 

 Maples, Sweet Gums, Tupelos, etc. 



The wood of the Swamp Poplar is of a 

 grayish brown color with light sap-wood. A 

 cubic foot when absolutely dry weighs 25.48 

 lbs. It is manufactured into lumber, under 

 the name of Black Poplar, for interior finish- 

 ing, etc.i 



Leaves 4-8 in. Ion?, broad ovate with petioles 

 long and terete, va'i-ying from round to cordate at 

 base, crenate, obtuse or subacute at apex, covered 

 with white woolly tomentiim at first but finally 

 glabrous with brown buds acute or obtuse, resin- 

 ous. Flowers (.\pril-JIay) s;labrous scarious fim- 

 bricated scales, staminafe ampnts stout, densely- 

 flowered, finally 2-.'^. in. Ion':; and drooping ; 

 stamens 12-20; pistillate aments small, raceme- 

 like, few-flowered with short style : ovary ovoid, 

 and thick 2 or -S-lobed stigmas. Fruit (ripe in 

 May) with ovoid-oblong pointed 2-;i-valved cap- 

 sules, shorter than or equalling the pedicels. 



1. A. W., IV, 97. 



