Poplar fluff. Heat. June.

It's summer. Together with it, poplar fluff appears - "summer snowfall".

The greening program was launched immediately after the war. The task was simple: to choose an unpretentious and fast-growing tree, and plant it in the areas allocated for landscaping near houses, along the edges of roads, in park zones. Poplar turned out to be such a “universal” tree - one of the champions in terms of growth rate. Each year, each tree becomes closer to the sky by an average of 2-4 meters.

Soviet scientists emphasized: poplars in cities are a temporary "green injection"; after 15 years, it is necessary to begin replacing "quick landscapers" with other trees that are less troublesome. They did not begin to implement the replacement program, but more and more poplars were successfully planted in megalopolises, cities and towns throughout Russia.

The “victorious procession” of poplars turned into almost a tragedy: people began to murmur louder and louder on the fluff, which covered the streets with a “snowy” carpet, “made its way” into houses, and made them sneeze. Questions started pouring in. Wasn't it possible to choose another tree? How could such an unfortunate mistake be made?

Indeed, Soviet scientists were not mistaken in their choice. The fact is that the poplar has "male" and "female" trees. The former bloom and pollinate the latter, and it is on the “female” poplars that seeds with annoying down appear. For landscaping, “male” poplars, which “do not push”, were chosen. However, over time, botanists, to their annoyance, began to notice the appearance of "female" earrings on "male" trees. By “changing sex”, poplars tried to resist the massive seasonal “haircut”.

However, there is another version of the appearance of "female" poplars on city streets. V Soviet years greening programs were often carried out at subbotniks, in which ordinary citizens took part. It was simply unrealistic to invite a professional dendrologist to every subbotnik who would identify and approve "male" poplars suitable for planting.

Poplar fluff is not an allergen. It only carries pollen from plants, the flowering of which turns into trouble for people prone to allergies. However, poplar fluff, being a mechanical irritant, makes you sneeze and cough, and causes discomfort in many Russians.

In 2008, Eco-portal published research by American scientists who stated that poplars can eliminate the effects of a negative impact on the environment, including absorbing and degrading the carcinogenic industrial solvent trichlorethylene, as well as other pollutants. environment: gasoline, chloroform, vinyl chloride and carbon tetrachloride. Russian professor, head of the Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergology, N.M. P.L. Shupika Larisa Kuznetsova is convinced that poplar fluff, like a “brush for the air,” absorbs carcinogens and heavy metal salts that are released into the air from cars and industrial emissions.

Experts note that one poplar gives off as much oxygen as 10 birches, 7 spruces, 4 pines or 3 lindens. During the season, the tree "takes" 20-30 kg of soot and dust from the air. Poplar is extremely frost-hardy and is ready to adapt to the worst ecology, so it will not be easy to find a worthy replacement for it, ecologists say. Alexei Yaroshenko, head of the Greenpeace Russia forestry program, is confident that if all poplars are removed in Moscow, the air quality will decrease so much that it will override all the advantages of the absence of fluff. The ecologist is sure that large gas-polluted megacities do not provide an alternative: other trees, given the current state of air, will grow very poorly, if at all.

Today one of the most effective measures the fight against poplar fluff is seasonal pruning. True, not in all Russian cities, utilities are up to the task. If utility services still reach the central streets, then often "hands do not reach" the yards and outskirts. So the janitors, as well as volunteers, are trying to collect and sweep away poplar fluff to no avail.

Often, children come to their aid, who like to set fire to the "summer snow", which, of course, does not cause delight among the authorities - citizens are persistently reminded of the fire hazard of poplar fluff. To be honest, hand on heel, who in childhood did not burn fluff?

Cropping, by the way, has its drawbacks. Firstly, after "cutting" the tree looks ugly for a while, which does not contribute to the improvement of the urban appearance. Secondly, ideal pruning should be completed by applying a special healing compound to the wounds of the tree, which does not allow the tree to collapse. It is clear that the land planters have neither the energy nor the time to perform such painstaking work. Trees rotted from the inside fall, destroying cars and maiming people.

However, old trees also create an emergency situation - average duration the life of the poplar is 100 years. In Moscow and some Russian cities For example, in Samara and Tomsk, the planting of poplars is prohibited. At the same time, complex programs are being carried out, which provide for crowning, the use of special reagents that do not allow the seeds to open, and the gradual replacement of poplars with other types of trees - linden, birch, chestnuts. Cutting down all the blossoming poplars at once means "exposing" the city streets.

Even the ancient Greeks willingly used "male" poplars, planting them in squares and central streets. It was from the Greeks that the science of plants borrowed the word "populus" - "folk" for the name of the genus of poplars. Napoleon was a passionate admirer of poplars. According to legend, he ordered the planting of these trees throughout Europe along the route of his army. The great Corsican was sure that he would triumphantly return already along the green alleys of fast-growing poplars. By the way, in some Central Asian countries there is a custom: at the birth of a son, the father plants poplars so that the son, when he grows up, builds a house for himself from ready-made raw materials.

V modern Europe, according to the host researcher Latvian botanical garden Inare Bondare, the express greening program was fully implemented. The “male” “not dusting” poplars were planted and eventually replaced. Different kinds poplars are widespread in Canada and the United States. In some American cities, the planting of "female" poplars is prohibited for the same reason - to avoid a "blizzard".

On special plantations, sterile hybrid varieties are grown on which seeds do not develop - they are used, first of all, for the production of cellulose. Americans make snowboards, boats, crates, pallets, and even electric guitars from flexible poplar wood. University of Michigan biologist Curtis Wilkerson suggests using genetically modified poplars as an efficient and cheap biofuel. In Edmonton, Canada, since 1980, a program has been implemented to replace poplars with other trees. It covered only the urban area, while wild trees still cause a lot of problems for the townspeople.

Residents who dream of planting poplar near their homes, as well as landscape designers who want to use this tree to decorate their gardens, the Canadian authorities strongly recommend choosing only "male trees" or sterile varieties in special nurseries, and in addition to replacing old trees in a timely manner.

Poplar white, or silver- R. alba L.

Grows wildly in the European part of Russia, Siberia, Central Asia, Western Europe, China, Asia Minor. It is found in many reserves in the Crimea, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the European part of Russia. Forms floodplain forests. Grows best in light, well-drained alluvial soils. Photophilous hygrophyte.

A tree with a broadly spreading crown, up to 30 m high. The bark is gray-green, smooth, with deep cracks in old age. Young shoots are white-felt. Leaves are dense, from oval to palmate-lobed, with large teeth, dark green above, shiny, pubescent below, white tomentose. In autumn, the leaves turn lemon yellow. It has a deep root system, which gives abundant root suckers, often at a considerable distance from the mother tree. Can tolerate dry conditions, but grows rapidly only in fertile and sufficiently moist soils. Crown pruning does not tolerate well, while the crown takes on an ugly shape, and some of the branches dry out. Very decorative with silvery foliage.

In GBS since 1938, 4 samples (8 copies) from Holland and vegetative reproduction of GBS. Tree, at 52 years old, height 16.6 m, trunk diameter 23/30 cm. Plant grows from 7.V ± 7 to 17.X ± 5 for 163 days. It blooms from 10.V to 13.V for 3 days. Fruits ripen 11.VI ± 2. Full winter hardiness. 100% of cuttings are rooted when treated with 0.01% IMC solution. Decorative.

Fully winter-hardy in middle lane Russia, endures flooding. A spectacular tree for monumental compositions in large parks and forest parks. Especially good at large groups and groves, alternating with large glades and groups of other, contrasting in color, tree species. Suitable for single and group plantings. Good for strengthening river banks and reservoirs due to a powerful root system and an abundance of root suckers. White poplar can not be turned into a twenty-meter monster. If, when planting, the growth of its roots is limited, and then regularly subjected to strong pruning of the crown, then an almost perfectly round ball is formed. In addition, regularly growing young shoots will have larger and whiter leaves than older trees.

The most decorative forms: snow white(var.nivea); spherical(f. globosa) - a small tree with a dense, spherical crown, with small, weakly lobed leaves at the beginning of development, gray below; weeping(f. pendula) - a small tree with long, hanging shoots; Richard(f. Richardii).

"Nivea"A fast-growing, short-lived, large tree (up to 18-20 m in height with a trunk diameter of about 1.5 m), reaches its maximum size in 20-30 years. The underside of an adult leaf is snow-white, the top is dark green, shiny. leaves are entirely white. In autumn, the underside remains in color and the upper part becomes golden yellow. As on the underside of the leaf, young shoots are snow-white due to abundant pubescence. When the wind sways the leaves, the wide crown of the white poplar appears to be shimmering silver. The bark is no less spectacular - it is greenish-gray. The plant is dioecious, that is, there are male and female specimens. Before the leaves bloom on the male specimens in the spring, reddish catkins with white fluff appear that adorn the tree. Female flowers are greenish-yellow and inconspicuous.

"Richardii". Small tree(as opposed to an aggressive natural species) or a large shrub up to 5 m high. It has bright golden yellow leaves about 8 cm long, white on the underside. A very effective shape, especially when viewed from a distance. Due to its spectacular shape, it looks best in large gardens in single planting and in compositions. In small gardens, this form is best grown as a bush, which is obtained with strong regular pruning.

Photo above is EDSR.
Photo right and left of Zakutnaya Natalia

The "fluff" of poplars is their seeds, covered with fine silky hairs. Due to the hairs, seeds can float in the air for a long time and spread far. (Seed propagation is one of the most important tasks of plants.)

Why are poplars pruned?

1) To reduce the amount of fluff: after pruning, the poplar repairs damage for about five years and does not produce seeds (does not “push”).


2) To prevent breaking off: poplar is a rather fragile tree, and besides, its trunk is easily affected by fungi and rots. If you let it grow to large sizes, then large branches will break off and fall right on the heads of the amazed townspeople.

Why are pushing poplars being planted in cities, and not chestnuts or pines?

1) Poplar grows very quickly. (Including due to the fact that he does not spend resources on protection from fungi and other pests, but lets everything grow.) The chestnut is still a bush, a potential victim of any city pig, and the poplar has already grown.


2) Poplar is relatively resistant to the harmful effects of the city. Polluted air, no mushrooms, little oxygen and water in the soil - a pine tree will certainly not tolerate such an outrage, and a poplar is normal.


3) Large sticky poplar leaves are extremely caught a large number of dust.

And what if you plant in the city
only male poplars?

Poplars are dioecious plants: there are poplars-boys and there are poplars-girls. Seeds, of course, are formed only on girls, so theoretically it is possible to plant only boys in the city and there will be no poplar fluff.


The problem is that poplar boys can change sex: under the influence of poor living conditions and pruning, they turn into girls.


Is it possible to create in the city for boys good conditions life? - Funny, next question... - Well, you can at least not cut them? - Based on their poplar fragility - no, it is impossible. In addition, it is difficult to distinguish boys from girls during pruning times (autumn).

Are there varieties of non-extinguishing poplars?

There are. At modern level selection, you can deduce anything at all.


What is pushing so powerfully now was planted 50 years ago.

How can poplar fluff cause allergies?

Theoretically, nothing. The allergen must get inside the body, and then our immune system will fall on it with all the foolishness. How poplar fluff can get inside the body - I cannot imagine.

Poplars are very fast growing, gaining height and leaf mass from the Willow family. Trees grow very quickly for the first 15-20 years of life, but quickly age and die. When poplar blooms, some people rejoice in a white poplar blizzard in the hot summer, and some suffer from allergies. All types of poplars purify the city air. There are several dozen poplar species on earth, many of them are hybrids grown by the efforts of dendrologists.

Balsamic

Balsamic poplar is native to Canada and North America... The usual height is 17-20 m, old fifty-year-old trees often reach a height of 30 m.

The diameter of the spreading poplar crown is 10-12 m, a thick trunk is difficult for two people to grasp, since its diameter can be up to two meters. At the base of the trunk, the bark of the plant is dark, uneven, in burst gnarled grooves; higher along the trunk, an elastic smooth skin of a white-gray hue begins.

The branches are covered with leaves 5-14 cm long and 4-7 cm wide. The shape of the leaves is rounded at the petiole and wedge-shaped-tapering to a sharp tip; along the edge, the leaves are covered with a fine-toothed relief.

The leaf is smooth, with a leathery cool surface and a long dense petiole (2-2.5 cm), the upper part of the leaf is shiny, dark green, the color of the lower plate is gray-green, very light, the skeletal base of the leaf structure is clearly visible from below.

The buds thrown out in spring are large, elongated, up to 2 cm high. The buds and newly unfolded young leaves are sticky from the sticky resin coating with a pleasant aroma covering them.

A tree is considered an adult only after 5 or 6 years. The species of this poplar is used to create living, windshields for fields and.

It is almost never used for landscaping cities and villages, although it looks very beautiful in group plantings consisting of a small group of trees.

Laurel

Habitat Western and Eastern Siberia, up to the Angara River. Grows in Altai, in the foothills of the Dzungarian Alatau. Distributed in river valleys on pebbles, on mountain slopes, on gravel.

Plant height from 10 to 20 m, trunk thickness up to 1 m in diameter. This type of poplar is not tall, the skeletal branches are sprawling and few in number, few new, young shoots grow on them per year. Therefore, the crown of the plant is not dense, slightly sparse.

Did you know? In total, 95 varieties of poplar trees grow on planet Earth.

The leathery cover of the trunk is gray with cracks. The tree is not very demanding on lighting and lives on the poor. Laurel has very deep roots, it can withstand long, frost-rich Siberian winters without any problems.

The color of the bark of young shoots is light yellow, they are slightly pubescent. Escapes unusual kind, and with clearly visible ribs, as they mature, the shoots become rounded in diameter.
This ribbing of the shoots is due to the longitudinal cork-like growths, which is hallmark of this particular type of poplar. The buds are oval, sharp, brownish-green, elongated, covered with a sticky and pleasantly smelling substance.

The foliage is large, the length of the leaf is 6-14 cm, the width is from 2 to 5 cm. The shape of the leaf is oval-elongated, narrowed towards the end, the leaf has a finely cut border, smooth to the touch, cool, leathery, with a two-color color (green-whitish). The blossoming foliage is sticky, light green.

Due to the frequent freezing of the branches, an abundant growth of young shoots occurs, from this the crown of the tree seems extremely lush and very decorative.

Flowering in this variety occurs in May-June, the fringed catkins are whitish in color, fluff loosely, covered with yellow pollen.

The male shape of the earrings is cylindrical, from 3 to 8 cm long, they have 20-25 stamens with filaments and anthers, female uniform blooms (catkins) have flowers rarely located on them, a pistil with a two-lobed stigma. The blades on the pistil are downward.
After ripening (May-June), in place of the inflorescences-earrings, fruits are formed in the form of quadrangular inflated balls. The finally ripe seeds are scattered from the burst testes. Poplars from a row of laurel are used in plantings along highways.

Important! The poplar family is divided into male and female trees. But only females during flowering spread fluff around.

Pyramidal

Pyramidal poplar is a light-loving plant. Very tall, the description of the species indicates a maximum height of 35-40 m and a maximum life span of up to 300 years. It grows in Italy, the Caucasus, Ukraine, Central Asia, and Russia.

Loves neutral and slightly acidic, moderately saturated with moisture, but well lit by the sun. Growing rapidly for the first 10 years. The cap of the plant is narrow, clearly extended upward, the branches are powerful, strong, growing at an angle of 90 ° in relation to the trunk.
The diameter of the trunk on the cut can be up to one meter, has weakly pronounced annual rings, dark gray bark, indented with small cracks. It blooms with small flowers, collected in long inflorescences in the form of male and female, women's earrings are 5-7 cm longer than men's.

Flowering occurs immediately after bud break. The color of female and male earrings is also different, male - burgundy, female - light milky.

The young plant has a smooth and elastic, light gray or light olive bark. The leaf shape of the pyramidal poplar is clearly triangular, with a wide, even base, sharply tapering towards the top of the leaf.

Like other species of Willow representatives, the pyramidal one has shiny, dark green leaves with a white color on the lower plate, finely toothed along the edge. The leaves are attached to the branches with a short, strong petiole, slightly flattened lengthwise.

With the onset of autumn, the foliage turns yellow, in mid-October the leaf cover crumbles to the foot of the trees.
The roots of this plant are located deep down and in breadth, some of the roots are usually located on the surface of the ground near the base of the tree. It grows well in urban conditions, there is no negative reaction to emissions of automobile gases into the air.

Black (black carp)

Black poplar or Osokor - widespread in Russia and Ukraine, grows in parks and squares, in deciduous forests... It is used in city landscaping due to its exceptional oxygen-generating ability.

One plant can give off as much oxygen as 10 and three large, old ones. In one summer season, black poplar cleans the city air from 20 kg of dust accumulations, and its buds also have healing properties and are used in traditional medicine.
During the life of the giant, it reaches 35 meters in height, its life span is from 60 to 300 years. Old trees are sprawling, stumpy, with a powerful trunk, swollen with skin growths, which eventually hardened and became a shapeless type of wood. The bark is roughly shaped, almost black.

The buds are tightly pressed to the branches, round, large, in light scales, covered with gluten. The leaves are tough and large, triangular or diamond-shaped, attached to the branches by flattened cuttings.

Blossoming - long catkins, burgundy and yellow, male and female varieties. Male and female blooms differ in color and length of inflorescences, female inflorescences are usually twice as long and lush.
Flowering occurs in late May or early June. At the end of seed ripening, dispersion (reproduction) begins. The poplar family has earned recognition and love in different corners the globe its diversity, rapid growth and unpretentiousness.

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Under the tall, gloomy old Poplars, important documents were signed, vows were pronounced.

In the era of revolutions, Poplar was a symbol of the people's struggle for freedom and rights.

At the same time, in Chinese traditions, wood meant the unity of opposites - yin and yang. Thanks to their colors, Poplar leaves represented black and white, beginning and end.

In folk legends, Poplar personified a gentle and delicate nature. Poplar leaves, like Aspen, trembled in the wind.

For a long time, it was believed that Poplars are able to absorb negative energy and protect the house from evil spirits. Like guards, tall trees stood in the streets in cities and villages. Many old-timers believe that trees cannot endlessly absorb evil thoughts and, in the end, give a lot to the world.

poplar names

There are several theories about the origin of the word "poplar".

According to one version, the tree could be called "Popol", which is derived from the Latin name of the tree "populus". At a certain point, the word changed for unknown reasons.

The word "populus" from Latin actually means "people".

Where does Poplar grow

There are about 90 species of this tree. One of the rarest ones listed in the Red Book is the Black Poplar.

Poplar belongs to the willow family. In nature, it can be found along the banks of rivers and on the slopes of hills, however, it is most often found along roads and in parks in cities and villages.

Wild species are extremely sensitive to moisture in the soil. That is why Poplars are not found near swamps and swamps. Cultivated plants, on the other hand, take root well in almost any soil and even in highly gassed areas.

Various types of Poplar grow in Siberia, North-Western part of Russia, on Far East, in America, Mexico, China and even East Africa.

Poplar grows very quickly and within 40 years reaches incredible size... The maximum age of such a Poplar reaches 150 years. There are cases when the age of the Black Poplar was about 400 years.

What does Poplar look like

Poplar is slender tall tree with a strong thick trunk and silvery crown. The height of Black Poplar sometimes reaches 40 meters, while the maximum recorded trunk girth is more than 4 meters.

The crown of the Poplar is very thick and wide. Over time, many of the branches dry out. As if negative energy dries up the old tree from the inside.

The bark of common Poplar has a grayish tint and cracks over time.

The tree is dioecious. Female flowers turn into the same poplar fluff in the summer - White snow against the backdrop of a sultry summer.

When Poplar blooms

Poplar bloom begins in April or May, depending on the region. Due to the high pollen content in flowers, the tree is considered an excellent honey plant.

In June and July, ripe fruits with seeds are separated from the branches and spread to forests, cities and parks.

The healing properties of Poplar

The bark, seeds and buds of the plant are used as medicines.

Poplar bark contains tannins, glycosides and alkaloids. Thanks to this, the decoction from the bark has a sedative effect and calms the nervous system.

At the same time, tannins are astringent and effective for indigestion.

Decoctions from the kidneys effectively fight inflammatory processes and increase the body's resistance.

Poplar leaf infusion is used as a wound healing agent.

There are Poplar-based preparations that can cope with depressed state and normalize sleep.

Poplar buds, ground into powder and mixed with other ingredients, are used for hair loss. This ointment is able to stimulate hair follicles.

Contraindications

Tannins in Poplar bark preparations can aggravate the condition of a problematic gastrointestinal tract.

It must be remembered that the use of any properties of Poplar for medicinal purposes, like any other plant, is possible only after consultation with specialists.

Poplar application

Poplar wood is used industrially as a raw material for making paper, matches, plywood and even charcoal.

Although Poplar wood is not a favorite material for carvers and joiners, it is very valuable. The tree is able to quickly reach its ripeness, therefore it is an important and quick source of renewable natural resources.

Poplar is capable of producing a huge amount of oxygen and even surpasses Pine and Spruce.

Many plant species are unpretentious in the soil and are able to withstand increased air pollution by converting carbon dioxide into oxygen. That is why this plant has been planted in parks and along roads for many decades in a row.

Unfortunately, Poplar is also known for being a strong irritant for allergy sufferers. This fact was clearly not taken into account in Soviet times during mass plantings of Poplars in residential areas.

The oldest Poplar grows in Ukraine. Its age is about 200 years, while the trunk girth is just over 9 meters.

In the hungry war years, the bast layer under the bark of the tree was dried and added to flour for baking bread.

As you know, the living layer of wood is a valuable source of trace elements, therefore it was often an assistant in the fight against hunger in the most difficult times in the history of the country.

Poplar bark is very light, so it was often used as floats in fishing nets.

Poplars love to change their gender. Female earrings can form on the male plant. Scientists attribute this phenomenon to unfavorable ecology.