Trees of London: Identification of an black poplar tree near the Tower of London


	The black poplar is one of the native trees, i.e. it arrived in Britain, naturally, before the English channel formed. It has fewer branches than the London planes, which can be seen nearby, but what branches there are, are more powerful. The leaves are triangular or pear shaped. In the case of this example, beside the Tower, they are large, but generally their size is proportional to the size of the tree.


	Location See picure at the bottom of this page.

It is apt to find one here on the bank of the Thames, because its natural habitat is beside streams and ponds.

It used to be a much more common tree in Britain, hence it is featured in Constable's famous painting: the Hay Wain.

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Other Trees at Tower Hill

London plane Norway maple acacia

sycamore rowan bird cherry

ginkgo honey locust

Tower of London


	In the winter without leaves, the black poplar presents an awesome silhouette.

Tree Identification
Populus nigra.
		Leaf: Vary in size depending on the size of the tree; triangular shaped, dark green above, light green underneath; alternate.
		nuts/fruit: capsules; when they split, they reveal a cotton wool type substance which can be seen on the ground around the tree.
Flowers: the flowers are not conspicuous.		don't last long in the spring and appear before the leaves.
		bark: rough, dark brown with strong ridges.
shape: grows to about 35 metres		Sometimes with very strong branches which form a Y shape with the trunk.
general: something of a rarity in London but the ones that are about are good examples. There is also one in Russell Square.

Location
Of the row of trees along the river,
it is the last one along;
at the end nearest the souvenir shop.