August 2024 - Wonderful Weed Weekly

August 15, 2024January 29, 2025

Part 2 of Salicaceae: The Poplars and their uses

The impressive crown of the native Black-poplar at Mottey meadows NNR (by Dave Cadman)

Nearly 6 years ago I have written part 1 of the Salicaceae or the Willow and Poplar family. See https://wonderfulweedweekly.co.uk/the-salicaceae-or-willow-family

That was all about the different species of willows found in the British Isles and their uses.

This time I will complete the family with all the Poplars known. They aren’t easy to identify except for the Aspen and White Poplar perhaps.

I found a wonderful website/identification guide from ‘The Flora of East Anglia‘ on the identification of many typical poplars and their cultivars.

Contents:

11 species, several ssp and many more cultivars are given in Stace and 5 different Poplars are included in ‘The Medicinal Flora of Britain and Northwestern Europe’ by J. Barker.

Many thanks for the information for Poplars by the Plant Atlas Online. The link below the Scientific Names brings you to their website. Thanks fore pictures by Mike Poulton, Dave Cadman, Matt Summers and Wikipedia (which is also often used for more information about the individual plant).

FBBC is added behind the name in the contents when it also grows in the Birmingham and Black Country area as mentioned in the Flora!

The genus Populus and how to identify them

Ornamental, Food/Fodder and Other uses

P. nigra subsp. betulifolia or Black-poplar FBBC

P. tremula or Aspen FBBC

P. alba or White Poplar (Neophyte) FBBC

P. × ⁠canescens (P. alba × tremula) or Grey Poplar (A cultivated hybrid (native × alien)) FBBC

P. balsamifera or Eastern Balsam-poplar (Neophyte) FBBC

P. trichocarpa or Western Balsam-poplar (Neophyte) FBBC

P. nigra or Lombardy Poplar (fastigate cultivars) (Neophyte) FBBC

P. × ⁠jackii (P. balsamifera × deltoides) or Balm-of-Gilead (A cultivated hybrid (alien × alien)) FBBC

P. × ⁠hastata (Populus balsamifera × trichocarpa) or Hybrid Balsam-poplar (A cultivated hybrid (alien × alien)) also former P. ‘Balsam Spire’ FBBC

P. × ⁠canadensis (P. deltoides × nigra) or Hybrid Black-poplar (A cultivated hybrid (native × alien)) FBBC

P. × ⁠generosa (P. deltoides × trichocarpa)or Generous Poplar (A cultivated hybrid (alien × alien)

P. × ⁠berolinensis (P. nigra ‘Italica’ × laurifolia) or Berlin Poplar (A cultivated hybrid (native × alien).

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Horticulture has been my career since the early eighties after starting off learning and practicing Floristry in my native Holland (The Netherlands).
The reason for doing this blog on native plants, or weeds as most people call them, is that they are so much ignored and in the worst scenario, hated and chemically attacked.

Having loved all types of plants and nature all my life, I feel I have to say something positive for the underdog and make people see that they really are not so bad after all!

I identify myself a little with weeds; being bullied at secondary school and later by senior management in various jobs.

But native plants are survivors and much more interesting than first appearances would seem. Often delicate and pretty in the small details, especially when you look through a magnifying glass! Hopefully this doesn’t apply to me?

Native plants do a LOT of good for the immediate soil they grow in and for the surrounding wildlife and environment.

I have been a free-lance horticulturist/gardener for well over 6 years, but have so much to share about my passion for plants and in particular all native/wild plants, that I thought it would be a good idea to start this blog with help of my mentor, Lynne, and moral support by my partner Matt, who also has to do all the proof-reading.

I do hope you will enjoy reading my blog and learning a bit more about the fascination for weeds or wild flowers!