The Lombardy poplar was introduced into the UK in the 18th century and became a popular choice for creating natural wind breaks. Althought they are not planted as widely now there are still many fields which have them growing in hedgerows - typically in the boundary lines of farmers fields.  In Exeter there are several good sized specimens in the Flowerpot gardens park. Due to their vigorous growth habits they are often topped - especially when near buildings.

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It is a fast growing deciduous tree and capable of growing up to 6 feet per year. The lifespan of Lombardy poplar is very short in comparison to most trees. Typically 30 - 50 years for trees grown outside of their natural habitat. They are prone to quite a few number of diseases and also shed branches quite easily. They should not be planted near any sort of housing as the root systems are very invasive and can easily damage or block drains and other underground services. Intense root suckering is common and they can quickly spread and cover any open land in a few years if left unchecked. These trees need a lot of space and far away from houses, pavements and drains to be at their best.

ENTIRE TREE

BARK & TRUNK

The bark is light grey and the bole is typically very gnarled with irregular furrows. The growth habit is tall and narrow on both young and old trees. Root suckers are often present which can give it a bushy like apperance at the bole / bottom area of the tree. There isn't usually a lot of lichen or moss on the trunk.

CANOPY

CROWN

The leaves  are alternate amd broader than they are long. The shape of the leaves are triangular / diamond shaped and size of the leaves are around 8cm in length and 9cm in width. The petioles (leaf stalks) are quit long - usually 4cm or more. The young leaves are bright green and as they mature they turn a darker green. The surface of the leaves is smooth on both sides.

BRANCHES & TWIGS

LEAVES

Nearly all of the Lombardy poplars in the UK are male, if you do come across a female tree you are incredibly lucky. Flowering occurs in March and although the male flowers are quite large and are a deep red colour they often blend in with the branches and twigs as the leaves do not form until after the flowers have been shed. The flowers are thick dangling catkins which start off as a deep red colour and soon get covered in yellow pollen grains. Towards the end of March / early April most of the catkins have been shed and the ground is littered with them.

FLOWERS

FRUIT (COTTON SEED)

We rarely see the fruit of Lombardy poplar trees as most are male. For the female trees the flowers start off green rather than red and mature into fluffy seeds. Like all poplars it is a member of the cottonseed family so the fruit are tiny seeds covered in white fluff. In early summer the female tree (with the aid of the wind) will release the seeds and the sky will be filled with small clusters of white fluff. In some cases it gives the impression that it's snowing! Whilst this is beautiful to watch for some people it can be a problem as the surrounding area will be covered with the white fluffy seeds.

BUDS

GROUND LITTER

OTHER USEFUL DATA

Zelimir Borzan, University of Zagreb, Bugwood.org

Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Will's cigarettes tree card - credit to cigcardpix via Flickr

Will's cigarettes tree card - credit to cigcardpix via Flickr

Typhoo tea (scanned from personal collection)

Carbon performance certificate by Treeconomics for Barcham Pro Trees

Carbon capture data by Treeconomics for Barcham Pro Trees

OTHER USEFUL RESOURCES

www.barcham.co.uk

www.tree-guide.com

www.chewvalleytrees.co.uk

www.treesandshrubsonline.org

https://powo.science.kew.org

www.vdberk.co.uk

QUICK FACTS

• ​The Lombardy poplar was introduced into the UK in the 18th century
• ​Due to their vigorous growth habits they are often topped - espeically when near buildings
• ​It is a fast growing deciduous tree and capable of growing up to 6 feet per year
• ​The lifespan of Lombardy poplar is very short, typically around 30 to 50 years
• ​They are prone to quite a few number of diseases and also shed branches quite easily
• ​Intense root suckering is common and they can quickly spread and cover any open land in a few years if left unchecked
• The root system is quite agressive and can easily block or damage nearby drains and services
• ​These trees need a lot of space and far away from houses, pavements and drains to be at their best
• ​The bark is light grey and the bole is typically very gnarled with irregular furrows
• ​The growth habit is tall and narrow on both young and old trees
• Root suckers are often present which can give it a bushy like apperance at the bole / bottom area of the tree
• There isn't usually a lot of lichen or moss on the trunk
• ​The leaves  are alternate amd broader than they are long
• The shape of the leaves are triangular / diamond shaped
• The size of the leaves are around 8cm in length and 9cm in width
• The petioles (leaf stalks) are quit long - usually 4cm or more
• The young leaves are bright green and as they mature they turn a darker green
• The surface of the leaves is smooth on both sides
• ​Nearly all of the Lombardy poplars in the UK are male
• Flowering occurs in March
• The male flowers are quite large and are a deep red colour
•  The leaves do not form until after the flowers have been shed
• The flowers are thick dangling catkins which start off as a deep red colour and soon get covered in yellow pollen grains
• Towards the end of March / early April most of the catkins have been shed and the ground is littered with them
• We rarely see the fruit of Lombardy poplar trees as most are male
  
• For the female trees the flowers start off green rather than red and mature into fluffy seeds
  
• Like all poplars it is a member of the cottonseed family so the fruit are tiny seeds covered in white fluff
  
• In early summer the female tree (with the aid of the wind) will release the seeds
  
• The original origin of this tree was in Northern Italy
• The wood frame of the famous Mona Lisa was thought to be made of Lombardy poplar
• Due to the narrowing trunk and many upright thin branches it is not suitable as a timber tree

PLEASE LEAF ME ANY FEEDBACK / COMMENTS

If there is anything out of place or wrong please contact me. Equally if there is anything you wish to add please let me know. The more information we have about Lombardy poplar the better. Many thanks!

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