THE POPLARS. 
55 
growth is rapid, and their timber, consequently, is of little value, 
though its softness and lightness render it suitable for making 
boxes, and its whiteness and non-liability to splinter fit it for 
use as flooring. An additional point in favour of White Poplar 
for the latter purpose is its unreadiness to burn. 
White Poplar, or Ahele. 
A, female catkin. 
The White Poplar, or Abele {Populus alba), grows into a 
large tree, something between sixty and a hundred feet high, 
covered with smooth grey bark. Its branches spread hori- 
zontally, and its broad heart-shaped leaves, which vary from an 
inch to three inches long, are hung on long slender foot-stalks, 
H 
