''Populus lasiocarpa'', commonly called the Chinese necklace poplar, is a species of poplar native to humid forests of

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. It is closely related to ''

Populus wilsonii ''Populus wilsonii'' (Wilson's poplar) is a species of deciduous poplar tree found in China's Gansu, Hubei, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Xizang and Yunnan provinces. The tree has elliptical leaves wider at the base than at the tip, and can grow to up to ...

'', Wilson's poplar.

Description

''Populus lasiocarpa'' is known for its large leaves that may reach dimensions of 35 × 25 cm. The stalk reaches a length of 20 cm and the bottom sides of the leaves are very hairy. The

bud In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or embryonic shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of a stem. Once formed, a bud may remain for some time in a dormant condition, or it may form a shoot immediately. Buds may be spec ...

s have a length of 3 cm. Shoots are sturdy, angular and fluffy. The

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s grow on 25 cm long

catkin A catkin or ament is a slim, cylindrical flower cluster (a spike), with inconspicuous or no petals, usually wind-pollinated (anemophilous) but sometimes insect-pollinated (as in ''Salix''). They contain many, usually unisexual flowers, arranged cl ...

s and produce round, woolly fruit. This species blooms from March to May with the fruits ripening from May to June. Wilson's poplar differs from it in that the former's leaves are not hairy underneath and are generally smaller with a flattened petiole and resinous buds. File:Populus lasiocarpa leaves 01 by Line1.JPG, The leaves of ''P. lasiocarpa'' File:Populus lasiocarpa chaton mal by Line1.jpg, Male catkins

Distribution

The native distribution of ''Populus lasiocarpa'' comprises the temperate zones of China including the provinces of

Guizhou Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to t ...

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

and

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...

. There it grows in species-rich forests on mountain slopes and river banks in altitudes of . It prefers fresh to moist clay soil which is lightly basic to alkaline, on sunny locations. The species thrives in warm temperatures but is most often

winter-hardy Hardiness of plants describes their ability to survive adverse growing conditions. It is usually limited to discussions of climatic adversity. Thus a plant's ability to tolerate cold, heat, drought, flooding, or wind are typically considered meas ...

Taxonomy

''Populus lasiocarpa'' is a species of poplar in the family ''

Salicaceae The Salicaceae is the willow family of flowering plants. The traditional family (Salicaceae ''sensu stricto'') included the willows, poplar, aspen, and cottonwoods. Genetic studies summarized by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) have greatly ...

''. It was first described by Daniel Oliver in 1890. There are two known varieties: *''Populus lasiocarpa'' var. ''lasiocarpa'' with 15 to 24 cm long female and 1 to 1.7 cm long shortly-stalked fruit, *''Populus lasiocarpa'' var. ''longiamenta'' (P. Y. Mao & P. X. He) featuring up to long female catkins and 1.6 to 1.9 cm long stalkless fruit. This variety occurs in Yunnan at altitudes of .

Use

The Chinese necklace poplar is an important log tree in its area of distribution. In Central Europe, the tree is often used as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

but is of no distinct forestral importance.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1306148 lasiocarpa Flora of China