Balsam poplar
- Latin name: Populus balsamifera L.
- French name: Peuplier baumier
- Synonym(s): Eastern balsam poplar
- Taxonomic Serial Number: 22453
Description
Leaves
Form
- Broadly ovate, tip long drawn-out
- Base usually rounded, sometimes wedge-shaped or slightly heart-shaped
- Warty glands may be present at the base
- Lower surface mostly hairless
Length
- 7–12 cm
Colour
- Upper surface dark green
- Lower surface silvery green, usually stained with brownish resin blotches
Margin
- Finely toothed with many short, rounded teeth that turn inward at their tips (margin sometimes partially smooth)
Petiole
- Hairy
- Round in cross-section
- 7–10 cm long
- Green
Buds
Form
- Terminal bud round or slightly angled
- Slender, long-pointed
- Very resinous, fragrant
- 5 scales
- Lateral leaf buds parallel to the twig
- Pollen flower buds stout with thickened scales
- Leaf scars small, triangular
Length
- Up to 25 mm
Colour
- Orange-brown
Margin
- Hairless
Twigs
Form
- Moderately stout, hairy
- Round to slightly angular in cross-section
- Lenticels large, sparse
Colour
- Bright reddish-brown, with age becoming dark orange then grey
Flowers
Length
- Pollen catkins 7–10 cm
- Seed catkins 6–8 cm
Structure
- Dioecious
Fruits
Form
- Mature seed catkins bearing many closely spaced capsules
- Capsules ovoid, tip short
- Hairless
- Splitting into 2 parts when mature
Length
- Mature seed catkins 10–13 cm
- Capsules 6–7 mm
- Seeds 2 mm
Bark
Form
- Smooth when young, with age separating into flat-topped ridges with irregular V-shaped furrows
Colour
- Greenish-brown when young becoming grey
Size
Height
- To 25 m
Diameter
- To 50 cm
Maximum age
- 70 years
Tree form
Forest-grown
Trunk
- Long, straight
Crown
- Narrow, somewhat columnar
- Open, with a few stout ascending branches
Root system
- Wide-spreading, with a few large roots, penetrating obliquely
to the water table or a layer of hardened soil
Habitat
Site
- River valleys
- Moist, rich, low-lying ground
- Frequently planted in rural areas for shelterbelts and windbreaks
Associated species
- In pure stands or mixed with alders, willows, balsam fir, black spruce, white spruce, white birch, and other boreal species
Photos
Photos
Derek Johnson
Anthony Scullion
Julie Piché
Insects and mites
Insects that cause damage to this tree.
-
Carpenterworm
Scientific name: Prionoxystus robiniae (Peck)
-
Cottonwood crown borer
Scientific name: Sesia tibialis (Harris)
-
Poplar-and-willow borer
Scientific name: Cryptorhynchus lapathi (Linnaeus).
Foliage or buds
-
Aspen serpentine leafminer
Scientific name: Phyllocnistis populiella Chambers
- Eupithecia subfuscata (Haworth)
-
Fall webworm
Scientific name: Hyphantria cunea (Drury)
-
Large aspen tortrix
Scientific name: Choristoneura conflictana (Walker)
-
Mourningcloak butterfly or spiny elm caterpillar
Scientific name: Nymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus)
-
Northern tent caterpillar
Scientific name: Malacosoma californicum pluviale (Dyar)
-
Poplar bud gall mite
Scientific name: Aceria parapopuli (Keif.)
-
Poplar-and-willow borer
Scientific name: Cryptorhynchus lapathi (Linnaeus).
-
Satin moth
Scientific name: Leucoma salicis (L.)
-
Whitetriangle leafroller
Scientific name: Clepsis persicana (Fitch)
Roots, bark, stem or trunk, or branches
Diseases caused by pathogens
Diseases caused by pathogens that cause damage to this tree.
Septoria (leaf-spot and) canker of poplars
Pathogen name: Sphaerulina musiva (Peck) Quaedvl., Verkley & Crous
Septoria leaf spot of poplars
Pathogen name: Sphaerulina populicola (Peck) Quaedvl., Verkley & Crous
-
Brown cubical sap rot
Pathogen name: Gloeophyllum sepiarium (Wulfen: Fr.) P. Karst.
-
Septoria (leaf-spot and) canker of poplars
Pathogen name: Sphaerulina musiva (Peck) Quaedvl., Verkley & Crous
-
Septoria leaf spot of poplars
Pathogen name: Sphaerulina populicola (Peck) Quaedvl., Verkley & Crous
Foliage or buds
Septoria (leaf-spot and) canker of poplars
Pathogen name: Sphaerulina musiva (Peck) Quaedvl., Verkley & Crous
Septoria leaf spot of poplars
Pathogen name: Sphaerulina populicola (Peck) Quaedvl., Verkley & Crous
-
Conifer-poplar rust
Pathogen name: Melampsora occidentalis Jacks.
-
Ink spot of aspen
Pathogen name: Ciborinia whetzelii (Seaver) Seaver
-
Leaf blight (Ventura populina)
Pathogen name: Venturia populina (Vuill.) Fabric.
-
Leaf blight (Linospora tetraspora)
Pathogen name: Linospora tetraspora G. E. Thompson
-
Septoria (leaf-spot and) canker of poplars
Pathogen name: Sphaerulina musiva (Peck) Quaedvl., Verkley & Crous
-
Septoria leaf spot of poplars
Pathogen name: Sphaerulina populicola (Peck) Quaedvl., Verkley & Crous
-
Shepherd’s crook of aspen
Pathogen name: Venturia moreletii Rulamort
Roots, bark, stem or trunk, or branches
Septoria (leaf-spot and) canker of poplars
Pathogen name: Sphaerulina musiva (Peck) Quaedvl., Verkley & Crous
Distribution map
