Populus nigra
Populus nigra, the
black poplar, is a species of cottonwood poplar, the type species of section
Aigeiros of the genus
Populus, native to Europe, southwest and central Asia, and northwest Africa. Burrs and normal bark on a black poplar tree (subspecies
betulifolia) in Ayrshire, Scotland. It is a medium-sized to large deciduous tree, reaching 20–30 m (rarely 40 m) tall, with a trunk up to 1.5 m diameter. The leaves are diamond-shaped to triangular, 5–8 cm long and 6–8 cm broad, green on both surfaces. The species is dioecious (male and female flowers on different plants), with flowers in catkins and pollination by wind. A fastigiate black poplar cultivar of the
Plantierensis Group, in Hungary There are three subspecies, some botanists distinguishing a fourth: ▪
Populus nigra subsp.
nigra. Central and eastern Europe. Leaves and shoots glabrous (hairless); bark grey-brown, thick and furrowed. ▪
Populus nigra subsp.
betulifolia (Pursh) W.Wettst. North-west Europe (France, Great Britain, Ireland).