Black Poplar

Black Poplar - Populus nigra
Grey Poplar - Populus canescens
Lombardy Poplar - Populus nigra ‘Italica’
White Poplar - Populus alba 

Description and Habitat
There are hundreds of different varieties of Poplar today and all have derived from the original native Black Poplar - Populus nigra. The most common seen today are the Grey Poplar - Populus canescens, Lombardy Poplar - Populus nigra ‘Italica’ and White Poplar - Populus alba. (White Poplar is regularly confused with Aspen). Sadly the native Black poplar has become a rare British tree over the last 150 years. It was once more commonly seen than the Oak and featured in many artists paintings, among them John Constable’s The Hay Wain. With less that one thousand trees left it is unlikely that the Black poplar will survive another decade. It is locally frequent in parts of lowland England and Wales, but is rarer in the north of England, Scotland and Ireland.

The bark is grey brown and fissured and is sometimes burred. The crown forms a large dome and can reach up to 100 feet. The female catkins will release fluffy seeds in June, whilst the male catkins are a deep crimson colour. The leaves are triangular in shape with small serrated edges that alternate up the branch and the buds are a rich chestnut brown while the twigs are a yellowish brown and ridged. In Autumn the leaves will turn a banana yellow.

Originally, the Black poplar would have been found on flood plains and river banks, but much of its natural habitat has been destroyed, largely by river drainage works. It may still be found in wet areas or by streams. Roots will spread great distances to find water sources.

The modern hybrid Poplar coppices very easily and will regenerate easily by simply snapping a twig and pushing into the ground, therefore wind blown branches will carry on to grow; this is a stark contrast to the Black Poplar which needs more specialised conditions. Seeds need to lie undisturbed on bare, wet mud or silt from June to October to germinate successfully.

Uses
Amongst its many uses, Poplar is largely used as wood pulp but it can also been used for matches etc as well as boarding for trailer beds because it can withstand shock loads well. Poplar pollards extremely well and is used in basket weaving materials and fence screens. At one time the larger material would have been used as stakes on farms. The wood was also used for rails, scaffold poles and rafters with the smaller material being used for faggots for burning in the oven. In early summer the shoots were cut from the pollards and then subsequently dried for winter fodder. The shaped lower branches are especially prized for cruck frames.

Due to its extremely high moisture content poplar is not a good wood to be used on the fire and will normally rot before it dries when stored.

The modern hybrids of poplar have been known to grow over 7 feet in a season and is therefore harvested to be chipped to be used as fuel for furnaces.

Medicinal
There are many medicinal uses including antiseptics, anti inflammatory, diuretic etc. Both the leaf buds and the bark can be used. The leaf buds are covered in a resinous sap that has a strong smell and bitter taste. The buds themselves are anti scorbutic, antiseptic, balsamic, diaphoretic, diuretic, used in expectorant, alleviates fever, used in salves, stimulant, tonic and vulnerary. Taken internally they will treat bronchitis and upper respiratory tract infections as well as stomach and kidney disorders. The buds can be harvested in the spring before they open and dried for later use.

The bark contains salicylates, from which aspirin is derived. The stem bark is anodyne, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, astringent, diuretic and a tonic and can be used to treat everything from gout to urinary complaints. The bark is harvested from side branches and also dried for later use. 

Folklore
Poplar and Aspens folklore and mythology tend to closely intermingle as the trees are part of the same family. The Black Poplar was often seen as mysterious and supernatural, probably because of the gnarled way in which it grew and also because the leaves had a long elliptical stem which would tremble with the lightest of winds. During hot sunny days, with no wind, the leaves shimmer and tremble because of the heat re-bounding back from the ground. This is especially noticeable with the White popular and would have seemed like a strange phenomenon in the past. The noise the trees make when trembling is suppost to be the trees talking to one and another and resembles the sound of falling rain.

The Black Poplar is often connected with death. In Roman mythology it was said that the grief stricken women were clad in black and turned into Black poplars. In Greek mythology a similar story of the Heliades, the sisters of Phaeton, turned into the trees through grief of his death. The white poplar, however, was turned from black to white when Hercules wore a garland whilst battling the guardian of the underworld. His sweat bleached it white.

With their rapid growth rate the trees may have also been regarded as a fertility symbol and were part of Wedding ceremonies in which the trees were dressed as part of the ceremony. This practice still exists in Aston upon Clun, where an annual Black Poplar flag dressing ceremony still occurs on Arbor Day. Until 1995, a large Black poplar tree stood in the centre of the village and would be permanently dressed with flags. The flags are renewed on 29^th May or Oak Apple Day known locally as Arbor Day. The tree died of old age but its sapling grows in its place and until the tree is fully mature the village hangs the flags on the railings surrounding the tree. The custom is thought to have begun in 1786 and the tree is known as the Brides Tree.