Flora of New Zealand Series

grey poplar

Large spreading tree, suckering profusely and forming shrubby thickets. Bark grey towards base, rather rough. Young shoots ± terete, white-tomentose, at least at first, usually glabrous by autumn. Buds hairy, not viscid. Young lvs not aromatic. Petiole mostly 2-6 cm long, somewhat compressed, becoming glabrous or with sparse grey hairs. Lamina 4-11 × 2.5-10 cm, broad-ovate to almost deltoid, usually white-tomentose for a time but becoming glabrous on lower surface, soon glabrous and dark green above; margin with few, large, rounded teeth or lamina lobulate, without translucent band; base broad-cuneate, truncate or subcordate, sometimes with 2 glands; apex obtuse or acute. Catkins ♀, pendulous, to 5 cm long at anthesis. Rachis villous. Bracts 2-3 mm long, membranous, pale brown, laciniate; cilia long, white. Cup-shaped disc c. 0.5 mm deep, glabrous or somewhat hairy, especially near base; margin ± sinuate. Ovary glabrous. Capsules containing dense, white, cottony hairs.

N.: Te Awamutu; S.: Canterbury.

Europe 1983

Riverbanks, waste land, farm hedgerows, forming large suckering thickets near planted trees.

FL Sep.

P. × canescens has often been treated as a sp., but is a hybrid between P. alba and P. tremula. The ♀ plant described here shows much more resemblance to silver poplar than to aspen and is only distinguishable from P. alba by the difference in lf indumentum.