Populus deltoides (Match poplar,
Cottonwood, Necklace poplar)
Life
> eukaryotes >
Archaeoplastida >
Chloroplastida
>
Charophyta > Streptophytina > Plantae (land plants)
> Tracheophyta (vascular plants) > Euphyllophyta > Lignophyta (woody plants)
> Spermatophyta (seed plants) > Angiospermae (flowering
plants) > Eudicotyledons > Core Eudicots > Rosids >
Eurosid I > Order: Malpighiales
> Family:
Salicaceae > Genus: Populus
Identification
Only the nominate subspecies Populus
deltoides subsp. deltoides is naturalised in southern
Africa. Unlike Populus alba and Populus x canescens,
leaves are not lobed and lack a tomentum (woolly covering) on the
underside. Leaves are basally truncate and 70-110 mm long whereas in
Populus nigra they are roughly diamond shaped and 20-60 mm
long.
Distribution and habitat
Native to the USA. Cultivated in southern
Africa, in part for the wood, which is used for making matches. It
has become naturalised along watercourses in all of the provinces in
South Africa.
Links
References
- Jordaan, M. 2005. FSA contributions 18: Salicaceae s. str.
Bothalia 35(1): 7-20.
Text by Hamish Robertson |
