What Tree Is the Latest Populus tomentosa? A Complete Guide
Populus tomentosa is a large deciduous tree in the genus Populus of the family Salicaceae. It grows fast, has a straight and upright trunk, and is highly adaptable. Its main root and lateral roots are well developed, and its branches and leaves are dense, making it a good tree species for fast-growing timber forests, shelterbelts, and roadside and canal greening. It is widely distributed, with the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River as its center of distribution. Female plants are most common in central Henan, followed by Shandong, and are rarer in other areas. Female plants have been introduced in Beijing.
Populus tomentosa can reach 30 m tall. The bark is dark gray when young, gray-green when mature, gradually becoming gray-white, and black-gray at the base when old. The lateral branches spread out, those of male plants are ascending, and the branches of old trees droop. The branchlets (young twigs) are initially covered with gray felt-like hairs, then become smooth. The buds are ovate; the flower buds are ovate or nearly spherical, slightly covered with felt-like hairs. The long shoots have broad ovate or triangular-ovate leaves, with short acuminate tips and cordate or truncate bases, and the margins are deeply dentate or undulate-dentate. The upper part of the petiole is laterally flattened. The leaves on short shoots are usually smaller, ovate or triangular-ovate, slightly shorter than the leaf blade, with no glandular dots at the tip.
The male catkins of Populus tomentosa are 10-14 cm long. The male bracts have about 10 pointed tips and are densely covered with long hairs; the stamens number 6-12, and the anthers are red. The female catkins are 4-7 cm long; the bracts are brown, sharply lobed, and have long hairs along the edges. The ovary is long-elliptic, and the stigma is 2-lobed and pink. The infructescence can reach 14 cm long. The capsule is conical or long-ovate and splits into 2 valves. The flowering period is March, and the fruiting period is April-May.
Populus tomentosa prefers to grow in temperate plain areas below 1,500 m above sea level. It is a deep-rooted species with relatively strong drought tolerance, and can grow in clay, loam, sandy loam, or low-lying mildly saline-alkali soil. It grows fastest where water and fertilizer conditions are sufficient, and can become timber at 20 years old. It is one of China's fast-growing tree species.
The wood of Populus tomentosa is white, with straight grain and high fiber content. It dries easily, processes easily, and has good painting and gluing performance. It can be used for construction, furniture, box boards, matchsticks, papermaking, and other materials, and is a raw material for artificial fibers. Because of its good wood quality, fast growth, long lifespan, relatively high tolerance to drought and salinity-alkali conditions, majestic tree form, and beautiful crown shape, it is an excellent garden landscaping or street tree that people in various places like to plant, and it is also a fast-growing timber afforestation tree species in North China.