European white poplar Salicaceae Populus alba L. symbol: POAL7 Leaf: Alternate, simple, pinnately veined, 2 to 4 inches long, margins are coarsely toothed and sometimes lobed (maple-like), shiny green above and silvery white-wooly beneath. Flower: Species is dioecious; male and female as pendulous catkins, 2 to 3 inches long, appearing before the leaves. Fruit: Cottony seeds borne in dehiscent capsules which mature in late spring to early summer. Twig: Medium-textured, gray to reddish brown and may have some gray pubescence; buds are ovate and pointed, reddish brown with some gray fine hairs, laterals are somewhat hooked. Has a bitter aspirin taste. Bark: Smooth and milky greenish white for several years, later developing numerous lenticels which enlarge and develop into shallow dark splits and ridges. Form: Generally a single straight trunk, with a thin, narrow crown. Coppices readily so it is often forms thickets. Looks like: bigtooth aspen - quaking aspen Additional Range Information: Populus alba is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and may seed into the landscape. See states reporting European white poplar. More: Fall Color External Links: USDA Plants Database Horticulture © Copyright 2015, Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, all rights reserved. Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson