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Populus canescens

(Gray Poplar)

Overview

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Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Afrikaans:

Vaalpopulier

Common Names in English:

Gray Poplar, Grey Poplar, Matchwood Poplar

Common Names in French:

Peuplier Grisard

Common Names in German:

Grau-Pappel

Description

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Family Salicaceae

Trees or shrubs , deciduous or rarely evergreen , dioecious, rarely polygamous. Leaves alternate, rarely subopposite, usually petiolate , simple ; stipules persistent or caducous . Catkins erect or pendulous; each flower usually with a cupular disc or 1 or 2(or 3) nectariferous glands . Male flowers with 2-many stamens; filaments filiform , free or united ; to connate ; anthers 2(or 4) -loculed, dehiscing longitudinally. Female flowers with 1 pistil, sessile or stipitate ; ovary superior, 1- or 2-loculed; ovules several to many, anatropous , with a 1 integument; style 1, 2 in Chosenia; stigmas 2-4. Capsule dehiscing by 2-4(or 5) valves ; placenta and inside wall of ovary with long hairs . Seeds 4-numerous, glabrous ; hairs and seeds simultaneously deciduous when capsule matures.

Three genera and about 620 species: mainly N hemisphere, a few in S hemisphere; three genera and 347 species (236 endemic) in China, including at least nine hybrids and at least one introduced species .[1]

Genus Populus

Trees ; trunk usually straight; bark furrowed or smooth , often gray or tan; pith mostly 5-angled in cross section . Terminal bud terete or angled ; bud scales several, unequal. Stipules small, deciduous; petiole terete or laterally compressed ; leaf blade usually ovate to deltoid-ovate. Flowering precocious ; catkins pendulous. Flowers anemophilous ; bracts apically lobed or laciniate , membranous, caducous ; flowers with disc obliquely cupular. Male flower: stamens 4-many; filaments short, free ; anthers dull red. Female flower: ovary 1-loculed; style 1, short or not; stigmas 2-4. Capsule 2-4(or 5) -valved. Seeds few to numerous , small. Cotyledons elliptic .

About 100 species: N Africa, Asia, Europe, North America; 71 species (47 endemic) in China, including at least nine hybrids.

The taxonomy of Populus in China, at species level, is at a preliminary stage. To reach an adequate understanding, it is necessary to make direct observations in natural populations of all morphological variations between individuals, for all species and at all seasonal developmental stages. Moreover, other methods beyond morphological studies need to be applied, especially anatomic and chemotaxonomic analyses.[2]

Physical Description

Species Populus canescens

Trees to 20 m tall, suckering freely; bark grayish or bluish gray, smooth , rough at base of trunk ; crown spreading . Branchlets terete , often glabrous ; short branchlets brownish, tomentose . Buds ovoid , brown tomentose. Leaves of short branchlets with petiole slightly compressed , nearly as long as blade , glabrous; leaf blade ovate-orbicular, ovate-elliptic, or rhombic- to ovate-orbicular, 4-8 × 3.5-6 cm, both surfaces glabrous or sometimes thinly tomentose abaxially, base broadly cuneate or rounded , margin with obtusely notched teeth, apex obtuse . Leaves of sprouts and long shoots with petiole gray tomentose; leaf blade broadly elliptic , abaxially gray tomentose, adaxially green, glabrous or sparsely tomentose, irregularly dentate . Male catkin 5-8 cm. Male flower: stamens 8-10. Female catkin 5-10 cm. Female flower: ovary glabrous; stipe short. Capsule long ovoid, 3-4 mm, 2-valved. Fl. Apr, fr. May. [source]

Regarded by many authors as a hybrid between Populus alba and P. tremula. [source]

Habit: Tree

Size/Age/Growth

Size: over 40' tall.

Habitat

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 1,090 meters (0 to 3,576 feet).[3]

Biology

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Reproduction

Duration: Perennial

Growth

Culture: Space 30-40' apart.

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b. (map)

Taxonomy

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Synonyms

Hort. kew. 3: 405. 1789. • Populus alba Linnaeus Var. canescens Aiton • Populus alba var. canescens Ait. • Populus hybrida Bieb. • Populus × canescens (Aiton) Sm.

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Populus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 82 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

P. acuminata (Lanceleaf Cottonwood) · P. alba (Silver Poplar) · P. alba 'Pyramidalis' (Bolleana Poplar) · P. alba 'Richardii' (Silver Poplar) · P. angustifolia (Narrow-Leaf Cottonwood) · P. balsamifera (Balsam Poplar) · P. balsamifera balsamifera (Hackmatack) · P. balsamifera trichocarpa (Black Cottonwood) · P. balsamifera subsp. trichocarpa (Black Cottonwood) · P. berolinensis (Berlin Laurel Poplar) · P. brayshawii (Hybrid Balsam Poplar) · P. canadensis (Carolina Poplar) · P. canescens (Gray Poplar) · P. canescens 'Tower' (Gray Poplar) · P. cathayana (Poplar) · P. deltoides (Common Cottonwood) · P. deltoides deltoides (Eastern Cottonwood) · P. deltoides occidentalis (Plains Cottonwood) · P. deltoides var. monilifera (Match Poplar) · P. deltoides wislizeni (Rio Grande Cottonwood) · P. deltoides wislizenii (Rio Grande Cottonwood) · P. deltoides subsp. monilifera (Eastern Cottonwood) · P. deltoides 'Siouxland' (Eastern Cottonwood) · P. deltoides subsp. wislizeni (Rio Grande Cottonwood) · P. euphratica (Euphrates Poplar) · P. fremontii (Cottonwood) · P. fremontii mesetae (Arizona Cottonwood) · P. fremontii subsp. mesetae (Fremont Cottonwood) · P. gileadensis (Poplars) · P. grandidentata (Big-Tooth Aspen) · P. heimburgeri (Heimburger's Poplar) · P. heterophylla (Black Cottonwood) · P. hinckleyana (Cottonwood) · P. ilicifolia (Tana River Poplar) · P. inopina (Populus) · P. jackii (Balm-Of-Gilead) · P. maximowiczii (Doronoki) · P. maximowiczii x nigra 'Nm6' (Hybrid Poplar) · P. maximowiczii x trichocarpa 'Androscoggin' (Hybrid Poplar) · P. nigra (Black Cottonwood) · P. nigra betulifolia (Wild Black Poplar) · P. nigra var. betulifolia (Ench) · P. nigra 'Italica' (Italian Poplar) · P. nigra 'Thevestina' (Lombardy Poplar) · P. parryi (Parry's Cottonwood) · P. rouleauiana (Populus) · P. simonii (Chinese Poplar) · P. simonii 'Fastigiata' (Chinese Poplar) · P. smithii (Smith's Poplar) · P. tomentosa (Chinese White Poplar) · P. tremula (Aspen) · P. tremula tremula (European Aspen) · P. tremula var. sieboldii (Aspen) · P. tremula 'Erecta' (Aspen) · P. tremula 'Tahoe' (Aspen) · P. tremuloides (Quaking Aspen) · P. tremuloides var. sieboldi (Trembling Aspen) · P. tremuloides 'Prairie Gold' (Quaking Aspen) · P. trichocarpa x nigra '311-93' (Hybrid Poplar) · P. wilsonii (Populus) · P. × acuminata (Lanceleaf Cottonwood) · P. × berolinensis (Poplar) · P. × brayshawii (Hybrid Balsam Poplar) · P. × canadensis (Carolina Poplar) · P. x canadensis 'Imperial' (Carolina Poplar) · P. x canadensis 'Nor'easter' (Carolina Poplar) · P. x canadensis 'Op-367' (Carolina Poplar) · P. x canadensis 'Prairie Sky' (Carolina Poplar) · P. x canadensis 'Robusta' (Carolina Poplar) · P. × canescens (Gray Poplar) · P. x generosa '15-29' (Interamerican Hybrid Poplar) · P. x generosa '49-177' (Interamerican Hybrid Poplar) · P. × heimburgeri (Heimburger's Poplar) · P. × hinckleyana (Hinckley's Poplar) · P. × inopina (Populus) · P. x jackii (Balm-Of-Gilead) · P. × parryi (Parry's Cottonwood) · P. × rouleauiana (Populus) · P. × smithii (Smith's Poplar) · P. x x (Lanceleaf Cottonwood) · P. x 'Red Caudina' (Cottonless Cottonwood) · P. '#6' (Brooks Poplar)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 02, 2008:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Cheng-fu Fang, Shi-dong Zhao & Alexei K. Skvortsov "Salicaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 4 Page 139. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. "Populus". in Flora of China Vol. 4 Page 139. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  3. Mean = 320.840 meters (1,052.625 feet), Standard Deviation = 348.660 based on 25 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
Last Revised: 2012-05-01