Populus ×canadensis Moench
Canadian poplar
Large trees to c. 30 m high, upright to spreading, suckering slightly. Bark grey, strongly fissured. Shoots ± terete, except when young, yellowish grey. Buds viscid, glabrous. Young lvs not aromatic. Petiole of mature lvs to c. 9 cm long, compressed, except sometimes near base, glabrous or with scattered hairs. Lamina to 14 × 11 cm, but often < 10 × 6 cm, broad-deltoid or broad-ovate, glabrous except for margins, green on both sides; margin crenate-serrate, with very narrow translucent band, with curved glandular teeth, sparsely to moderately or occasionally strongly ciliate; base very broad-cuneate, or truncate to subcordate, rarely with glands; apex short- to long-acuminate. Catkins ♂, pendulous, to c. 15 cm long. Rachis glabrous. Bracts 2-4 mm long excluding long subulate teeth, glabrous, brown. Cup-shaped disc usually 1-1.5 mm deep, ± oblique, glabrous. Stamens (15)-20-40; anthers crimson.
S.: scattered localities.
Europe 1983
Especially riverbeds and open moist ground near rivers, lakes and ponds.
FL Aug-early Oct.
In the Clutha riverbed just north of Cromwell, C. Otago, Canadian poplar occasionally occurs as small populations where the putative parents, P. deltoides and P. nigra, grow in close proximity. There are many named, cultivated clones of P. × canadensis and occasionally these reproduce naturally by means of suckers. Some are more like the European parent, P. nigra and others more like the American parent, P. deltoides. The most commonly planted up to 1973 were the ♂ clones `Eugenei', `Robusta', `Serotina', and several ♀ clones from Italy which were always grown under their clone numbers. ♀ clones are otherwise uncommon in cultivation and have not been observed fully wild. Since the advent of poplar rusts in 1973, most of these clones have suffered badly and since then rust-resistant poplars have been mostly planted, especially the ♂ clone `Flevo'; the named clones of P. × canadensis differ amongst themselves in minor characters of habit, time of lf appearance, colour of young lvs, lamina shape, and petiole length, but have not yet been recorded wild. Canadian poplar is frequently called P. × euramericana in N.Z.
