Black Poplar
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Black Poplar (Populus nigra) is a species of poplar in the cottonwood section of the genus (Populus sect. Aegiros; family Salicaceae), native to Europe and southwest Asia. It is a large deciduous tree reaching 30-40 m tall, native to Europe and western Asia. The leaves are diamond-shaped to triangular, 5-11 cm long, green on both surfaces. It is regarded in some circles as being one of the United Kingdom's most endangered trees through loss of habitat [link].
There are two varieties, some botanists distinguishing a third:
- Populus nigra var. nigra. Southern and central Europe, also southwest Asia if var. afghanica not distinguished. Leaves and shoots glabrous (hairless); bark grey-brown, thick and furrowed.
- Populus nigra var. betulifolia. Northwest Europe (France, England). Leaf veins and shoots finely downy; bark grey-brown, thick and furrowed.
- Populus nigra var. afghanica. Southwest Asia; treated as a cultivar of var. nigra by many botanists; bark smooth, nearly white; leaves and shoots as var. nigra (see also cultivars, below).
- 'Italica'. The true Lombardy Poplar, selected in Lombardy, northern Italy, in the 17th century. The growth is fastigiate, with a very narrow crown. A male clone. Coming from the Mediterranean region, it is adapted to hot, dry summers and grows poorly in humid conditions, being short-lived due to fungal diseases.
- Plantierensis Group. A group of clones derived by crossing 'Italica' with P. nigra var. betulifolia at the Plantières Nursery near Metz in France in 1884; it is similar to 'Italica' but with a slightly broader crown, and is better adapted to the cool, humid climate of northwest Europe, where the true Lombardy Poplar does not grow well. Both male and female clones are grown. This is the tree most commonly grown in the British Isles as "Lombardy Poplar".
- 'Gigantea'. Another fastigiate clone, of unknown origin, with a rather broader, more vigorous crown than 'Italica'; it is a female clone.
- 'Afghanica'. Most, if not all, specimens of the variety afghanica are of a single clone, and many botanists therefore treat it as a cultivar rather than a botanical variety. It is also fastigiate, similar to 'Italica' but with striking whitish bark; it also differs from 'Italica' in being a female clone. This is the common fastigiate poplar in southwest Asia and also southeast Europe (the Balkans), where it was introduced during the Ottoman Empire period. Also known as 'Thevestina'.
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