IDENTITY RECORD

Black poplar

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Populus nigra

DescrIption

I can measure as tall as 30-35 meters at maturity. I used to be a common sight along rivers, but my species is today threatened by poplar crops and hybridization with cultivated poplars.

Where and when can you find me in the reserve ?

• I grow in wet soil in sunny areas. You can see several old specimens of my species along the footpath that follows the Vieux Rhin.
• I am a tall tree that you can see all through the year.

How can you recognize me ?

• The individuals that grow along the Vieux Rhin are very old as shown by their thick, very rough, craggy, dark bark.
• The trunks can be covered with bulbous protrusions called burls from which numerous small branches grow.
• My leaves are diamond shaped with a pointy tip.

What other species might you mistake me for ?

• At first glimpse, you might confuse me with other species of poplar.

Conservation status

• Red list of vascular plants in metropolitan France: Least Concern (LC).
• Red list of endangered vascular plants in Alsace: Least Concern (LC).

Remember that picking flowers and plants is prohibited in nature reserves.