Carolina poplar
Peuplier de Caroline
Populus × canadensis 'Eugenei'Salicaceae (willow family)Origin: Hybrid from Europe (cultivated variety)
Origin: Hybrid from Europe (cultivated variety)
Carolina poplar is a large tree with a straight trunk and a narrowly spreading crown.
Read more about Tree, Bark, Twigs
Leaves are widest below the middle with a wedge-shaped to flat base, and a tapered tip.
Read more about Leaves
Flowers are male only, very small, reddish, clustered on long dangling catkins.
Read more about FlowersBecause Carolina poplar only produces male flowers it bears no fruit or seed.
Read more about Fruit
Carolina poplar is a large tree to 30 m (100'), with a straight trunk extending nearly to the top of the tree, and a narrowly spreading crown..
Main branches are upright and are often arranged in whorls around the trunk at approximately 1 m (3.3') intervals.
Mature bark is greyish-brown with long narrow ridges, some of which intersect.
Twigs are hairless, orange-brown, with pores (lenticels) and long pointed buds.
Buds are covered with red sticky resin.
Leaves are 5 - 8 cm (2" - 3 1/8") long, widest below the middle with a wedge-shaped to flat base and a tapered tip.
Leaf edges have shallow scalloped edges and have one or no glands at the base where the leaf stalk attaches.
Leaves have an alternate arrangement on the branch.
In the fall, leaves turn yellow.
Hybrid and cultivar origin
Carolina poplar is a hybrid between the North American eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) and the Eurasian black poplar (Populus nigra). Carolina poplar was first discovered as a natural hybrid in France following the introduction of eastern cottonwood to Europe in the late 17th century. The cultivated variety of Carolina poplar, Eugenei, was created by Simon Louis in 1832 near Metz, France. The original tree of this variety grew to a height of 45 m (150') and lived into the 20th century.
Derivation of names
The genus name Populus is the classical Latin name of the poplars. The species name canadensis is the Latin form of Canadian. The letter x in the Latin name indicates that this is a hybrid species.
Commericial use
Carolina poplar is planted as a cultivated tree and is propagated for its wood and bark which are used as biomass fuel.
Carolina poplar's place in Toronto's urban forest
Carolina poplar is a vigorous tree that has been planted widely in Toronto.
Landscape value and potential for home planting
Carolina poplar is not particularly well suited for home planting due to its large size (older trees can be expensive to prune or remove) and sticky buds.
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