Populus balsamifera

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Populus balsamifera
Populus balsamifera.jpg
A stem with young leaves
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Salicaceae
Genus: Populus
Section: Populus sect. Tacamahaca
Species:
P. balsamifera
Binomial name
Populus balsamifera
L.
Populus balsamifera range map 1.png
Natural range
Synonyms [2]
  • Populus tacamahacca Mill.
  • Populus candicansAiton

Populus balsamifera, commonly called balsam poplar, [3] bam, [4] bamtree, [2] eastern balsam-poplar, [5] hackmatack, [2] tacamahac poplar, [2] tacamahaca, [2] is a tree species in the balsam poplar species group in the poplar genus, Populus. The genus name Populus is from the Latin for poplar, and the specific epithet balsamifera from Latin for "balsam-bearing". [6]

Contents

Populus balsamifera is the northernmost North American hardwood, growing transcontinentally on boreal and montane upland and flood plain sites, and attaining its best development on flood plains. It is a hardy, fast-growing tree which is generally short lived, but some trees as old as 200 years have been found. [7]

The tree is known for its strong, sweet fragrance, which emanates from its sticky, resinous buds. The smell has been compared to that of the balsam fir tree.

Taxonomy

The black cottonwood, Populus trichocarpa , is sometimes considered a subspecies of P. balsamifera [8] and may lend its common name to this species, although the black poplars and cottonwoods of Populus sect. Aigeiros are not closely related.

The balm-of-Gilead (Populus × jackii), also known as P. × gileadensis, is the hybrid between P. balsamifera and the eastern cottonwood (P. deltoides), occurring occasionally where the two parental species' ranges overlap. This hybrid is also sometimes planted as a shade tree, and sometimes escapes from cultivation. [9] The name Populuscandicans has been variously used for either P. balsamifera or P. × jackii; it is currently considered a synonym of P. balsamifera.

Uses

The light, soft wood of Populus balsamifera is used for pulp and construction. [7] The resinous sap (or the tree's balsam) comes from its buds, and is sometimes used as a hive disinfectant by bees. [10]

Branches containing the resinous buds are sometimes blown to the ground by spring windstorms, and herbalists from many cultures seek these out to make medicine from them. These sticky spring buds are a highly prized ingredient in medicinal salves and other herbal preparations in both Indigenous North American and European herbal traditions.

Many kinds of animals use the twigs of Populus balsamifera for food. The leaves of the tree serve as food for caterpillars of various Lepidoptera. See List of Lepidoptera that feed on poplars.

Related Research Articles

<i>Populus</i> Genus of plants

Populus is a genus of 25–30 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar, aspen, and cottonwood.

<i>Populus <span style="font-style:normal;">sect.</span> Aigeiros</i> Section of plants in the genus Populus

Populus section Aigeiros is a section of three species in the genus Populus, the poplars. Like some other species in the genus Populus, they are commonly known as cottonwoods. The species are native to North America, Europe, and western Asia. In the past, as many as six species were recognized, but recent trends have been to accept just three species, treating the others as subspecies of P. deltoides.

<i>Abies balsamea</i> Species of conifer tree

Abies balsamea or balsam fir is a North American fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada and the northeastern United States.

Cottonwood or cotton wood may refer to:

<i>Populus <span style="font-style:normal;">sect.</span> Tacamahaca</i> Group of poplars

The balsam poplars are a group of about 10 species of poplars, indigenous to North America and eastern Asia, distinguished by the balsam scent of their buds, the whitish undersides of their leaves, and the leaf petiole being round in cross-section. They are large deciduous trees, 30–60 m tall, with leaves with a rounded base, pointed apex, and a whitish waxy coating on the underside of the leaf; this latter distinguishes them from most other poplars. The name is derived from the pleasant balsam smell of the opening buds and leaves in spring, produced by a sticky gum on the buds which also helps protect the buds from insect damage. The balsam poplars are light-demanding trees that require considerable moisture. Balsam poplars are tolerant of very cold conditions, occurring further north than other poplars except for the aspens. The poplars in Southern California are tolerant of 100 plus degree heat. They grow along dry washes and dry riverbed's. The dry washes and dry riverbeds will have flowing water when it rains sufficiently. Their leaves hang down and are at an edge to the sun. This may be another factor why they can take the high heat. Their leaves tremble in the slightest breeze like the quaking aspen

<i>Pimpinella saxifraga</i> Species of flowering plant

Pimpinella saxifraga, known as burnet-saxifrage, solidstem burnet saxifrage, lesser burnet is a plant species in the family Apiaceae, a native of the British Isles and temperate Europe and Western Asia. It is neither a burnet, which its leaves resemble, nor a saxifrage although it has a similar herbal effect as a diuretic.

<i>Tilia americana</i> Species of tree

Tilia americana is a species of tree in the family Malvaceae, native to eastern North America, from southeast Manitoba east to New Brunswick, southwest to northeast Oklahoma, southeast to South Carolina, and west along the Niobrara River to Cherry County, Nebraska. It is the sole representative of its genus in the Western Hemisphere, assuming T. caroliniana is treated as a subspecies or local ecotype of T. americana. Common names include American basswood and American linden.

<i>Grindelia squarrosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Grindelia squarrosa, also known as a curly-top gumweed or curlycup gumweed, is a small North American biennial or short-lived perennial plant.

<i>Populus deltoides</i> Species of tree

Populus deltoides, the eastern cottonwood or necklace poplar, is a species of cottonwood poplar native to North America, growing throughout the eastern, central, and southwestern United States as well as the southern Canadian prairies, the southernmost part of eastern Canada, and northeastern Mexico.

<i>Populus trichocarpa</i> Species of tree

Populus trichocarpa, the black cottonwood, western balsam-poplar or California poplar, is a deciduous broadleaf tree species native to western North America. It is used for timber, and is notable as a model organism in plant biology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New England–Acadian forests</span> Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest ecoregion of Canada and the United States

The New England-Acadian forests are a temperate broadleaf and mixed forest ecoregion in North America that includes a variety of habitats on the hills, mountains and plateaus of New England and New York State in the Northeastern United States, and Quebec and the Maritime Provinces of Eastern Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Balsam Mountains</span> Mountain range in North Carolina, United States

The Great Balsam Mountains, or Balsam Mountains, are in the mountain region of western North Carolina, United States. The Great Balsams are a subrange of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which in turn are a part of the Appalachian Mountains. The most famous peak in the Great Balsam range is Cold Mountain, which is the centerpiece of author Charles Frazier's bestselling novel Cold Mountain.

<i>Populus angustifolia</i> Species of tree

Populus angustifolia, commonly known as the narrowleaf cottonwood, is a species of tree in the willow family (Salicaceae). It is native to western North America, where it is a characteristic species of the Rocky Mountains and the surrounding plains. It ranges north to the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan in Canada and south to the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Sonora in Mexico. Its natural habitat is by streams and creeks between 3,900 to 7,900 feet elevation.

<i>Sambucus racemosa</i> Species of plant

Sambucus racemosa is a species of elderberry known by the common names red elderberry and red-berried elder.

<i>Populus grandidentata</i> Species of deciduous tree native to North America

Populus grandidentata, commonly called large-tooth aspen, big-tooth aspen, American aspen, Canadian poplar, or white poplar, is a deciduous tree native to eastern North America.

<i>Populus fremontii</i> Species of tree

Populus fremontii, commonly known as Frémont's cottonwood, is a cottonwood native to riparian zones of the Southwestern United States and northern through central Mexico. It is one of three species in Populus sect. Aigeiros. The tree was named after 19th-century American explorer and pathfinder John C. Frémont.

<i>Selaginella oregana</i> Species of spore-bearing plant

Selaginella oregana is a species of spikemoss known by the common name Oregon spikemoss. It is native to the Pacific Coast of western North America, where it can be found from British Columbia to northern California. It grows in mossy, shady coastal forests. It is often epiphytic, growing attached to tree branches, its stems hanging in sheets of green, mosslike streamers. Trees commonly occupied by the spikemoss include bigleaf maple, black cottonwood, and red alder. It also grows on the ground and on rocks in carpetlike mats. This lycophyte has creeping or hanging stems up to about 60 centimeters long, usually with forking branches. They curl as they dry. The stems are radially symmetric, with spirals of lance-shaped leaves each measuring 2 or 3 millimeters in length and tipped with a tiny, rigid bristle. The strobili containing the reproductive structures are up to 6 centimeters long and often occur in pairs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coniferous swamp</span> Forested wetlands dominated by conifers

Coniferous swamps are forested wetlands in which the dominant trees are lowland conifers such as northern white cedar. The soil in these swamp areas is typically saturated for most of the growing season and is occasionally inundated by seasonal storms or by winter snow melt.

<i>Populus <span style="font-style:normal;">×</span> jackii</i> Hybrid species of tree

Populus × jackii is the hybrid between balsam poplar, Populus balsamifera, and the eastern cottonwood, Populus deltoides, occurring occasionally where the two parental species' ranges overlap. It is sometimes called a cottonwood. This hybrid is also sometimes planted as a shade tree, and occasionally escapes from cultivation. This hybrid is also known by the synonyms Populus × andrewsii Sargent, P. × bernardii Boivin, Populus candicans W. Aiton, P. × dutillyi Lepage, P. × generosa Henry, P. × gileadensis Rouleau, and P. manitobensis Dode.

Augustus Griffin (1883-1946) was a horticulture pioneer who collected, grew, crossed and tested plants at the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Headquarters Farm in Brooks, Alberta, Canada where he worked as irrigation engineer. His former home is a registered historical site.

References

  1. Stritch, L. (2018). "Populus balsamifera". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T61959749A61959757. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T61959749A61959757.en . Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Populus balsamifera". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
  3. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Populus balsamifera". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  4. Peattie, Donald Culross. 1991. A Natural History of Trees of Eastern and Central North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, p. 100.
  5. BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  6. Earl J.S. Rook (2006-03-04). "Balsam Poplar, Populus balsamifera". Natural History of the Northwoods. Rook.org. Archived from the original on 2012-08-22. Retrieved 2012-08-30.
  7. 1 2 Zasada, John C.; Phipps, Howard M. (1990). "Populus balsamifera". In Burns, Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H. (eds.). Hardwoods. Silvics of North America. Washington, D.C.: United States Forest Service (USFS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Vol. 2. Retrieved 30 August 2012 via Southern Research Station.
  8. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Populus balsamifera". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team.
  9. Werthner, William B. (1935). Some American Trees: An Intimate Study of Native Ohio Trees. New York: The Macmillan Company.
  10. "Native Tree Of The Week - Balsam Popular". DeVos Tree Care. Jan 14, 2019.
Balsam poplar in Reykjavik, Iceland. Reykjavik - tree of the year 2016.jpeg
Balsam poplar in Reykjavík, Iceland.