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Populus
nigra (Lombardy
Poplar) Salicaceae (Willow Family) Foothills. Farmlands, lawns. Spring. Lombardy Poplars are an introduced species planted across the United States as an ornamental and windbreak. The tree apparently originated in Italy in the early 1700s as a mutation. It bears no female flowers and reproduces from root shoots and cuttings. Lombardy Poplars are fast growing, have soft wood, and require good moisture to reach the 80 foot height of the trees shown on this page. Tops of the trees wildly sway ten or twenty feet in heavy winds and the ground is then littered with the weaker branches. Orioles, Grosbeaks, and many other birds nest in their branches. "Populus" is Latin for "people" and is the classical Latin name for the tree. "Nigra" is Latin for "dark or black". |
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Populus
nigra (Lombardy Poplar) Salicaceae (Willow Family) Foothills. Farmlands, lawns. Spring. Lombardy leaves are typical of Poplar leaves: thick, shiny on the top side, and heart-shaped. Bark is gray and longitudinally furrowed with many short side branches. |
