- Botanical description
- Spreading
- Application
- Types of poplar
- Landing
- Reproduction
- Diseases and pests
The poplar genus is one of the most widespread and numerous among the representatives of the Willow family. In the temperate climate of Russia it is difficult to find an area where these trees are not found. Their popularity is explained by their unpretentiousness towards others. natural conditions, frost resistance, rapid growth and the ability to recover even if most of the trunks are destroyed.
Botanical description
Poplar (Populus) is a large dioecious deciduous tree. Most adult specimens of all species reach a height of 30–35 m, and in favorable conditions they outgrow the 50 m mark. The trunks are straight, 60–120 cm in diameter, and branches are rare. The crowns are dense, broadly ovoid, tent-shaped or pyramidal in shape. The bark is greenish-gray, silvery or black; in young shoots it is olive, smooth and thin; in adulthood it thickens, darkens and becomes covered with deep longitudinal cracks. The root system is superficial, with numerous branches diverging from the trunks to the sides almost horizontally. Root shoots extend far beyond the projection of tree crowns. In some species, with age, something like central rods grow, extending to great depths.
The buds are large, 5–10 mm in size, resinous, fragrant. The leaves are simple, petiolate, smooth, dark green, with back side noticeably lighter, arranged alternately on the shoots. The shape of the plates is wedge-shaped, heart-shaped or ovoid: with a wide rounded base and a pointed tip. The edges are entire or finely serrated. When they bloom, the young leaves are sticky with resin.
Inflorescences: cylindrical spikelets in the form of hanging earrings up to 17 cm long. Males are reddish or burgundy, females are light yellow or pinkish, somewhat longer. They bloom simultaneously with the leaves in April or early May. Fruits: small dry capsules with 3–4 leaves. They ripen in early summer, containing inside a mass of dark seeds 1–2 mm in size, pubescent with thin white hairs. It is easy to distinguish female poplar specimens in June, when thick flakes of fluff fly from the branches and capsules swollen with seeds fall off.
Trees mature and begin to bloom at the age of 10–13 years. Life expectancy in urban areas is usually 50–70 years; further growth is often hampered by fungal damage. IN wildlife poplars live up to 150–200 years or more.
Spreading
The natural habitats of the genus Populus cover areas with temperate and subtropical climates throughout the northern hemisphere: almost throughout Europe, Asia, North America and East Africa. Trees prefer moist, fertile soils, but successfully adapt to any type of soil, tolerating long-term droughts and waterlogging. They grow in river valleys, on mountain slopes, as part of mixed deciduous forests, are adjacent to , .
Application
Poplars are gas-resistant and can withstand polluted urban air, including near industrial areas. Wide leaves cleanse the surrounding atmosphere of harmful impurities and release more oxygen than conifers. Damaged specimens quickly recover, growing long young shoots throughout the year. Many species are decorative and are a source of inexpensive wood. Greens and tree buds contain pharmacologically active substances. These qualities determine the value of poplars for industry and landscaping.
Wood
Poplar is a soft species that is not very resistant to biological and mechanical influences. This is a core porous yellowish-cream or light brown material with a fine, discreet texture, viscous, prone to cracking and swelling. dry mass does not exceed 420 kg/cub.m. Its physical and mechanical properties are low. Wood is easily crushed, damaged by fungus and quickly destroyed. Used in the turning, pulp and furniture industries. Poplar produces:
- paper;
- matches;
- packaging containers;
- artificial fabrics;
- charcoal;
- not expensive kitchen utensils: cutting boards, bowls;
- cuttings of shovels and other agricultural implements;
- glued construction and finishing materials.
Medicine
Some types of poplar, for example, common poplar, are medicinal plants. Tree buds are valuable for medicine. They contain a number of biochemically active compounds:
- glycosides;
- organic acids;
- tannins;
- essential oil;
- gum;
- resin.
The buds are collected in April, before the active growing season begins.. Salicylic acid and populin, used in pharmaceutical industry. Preparations based on them have antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial effects, reduce pain, stimulate the activity of the gastrointestinal tract and liver, and increase the separation of sputum from the lungs.
Traditional medicine recommends using decoctions of poplar buds to treat pneumonia, bronchitis, stomatitis, use them for intestinal diseases, cystitis, nephritis, rheumatic pain, hemorrhoids, and wash cuts, abrasions, and ulcers with them.
For smokers who want to quit their addiction, poplar water makes it easier to quit nicotine.
An extract from poplar buds is included in anti-dandruff shampoos and other hair care products.
Gardening and landscape design
The ability of poplars to purify the air from dust and gases is indispensable for city streets. Fast-growing straight-trunked trees are suitable for planting in parks, squares, and along roadways. Species with compact decorative crowns: sedge or pyramidal poplar, can be grown on the borders of plots. Breeding only male specimens allows you to get rid of the main annoyance of poplar plantations - the summer “snowfall” of clods of fluff.
A powerful root system strengthens sliding soil on rough terrain and along the edges of ravines.
Types of poplar
The genus Populus includes almost 90 species. Most of them are wild, but there are also hybrid varieties, bred artificially in order to combine decorative qualities and resistance to adverse natural conditions.
Balsamic
Homeland - North America and some areas of Chukotka. Found in groups and alone. Frost-resistant, fast-growing species. Each year, shoots increase in height to 1 m. Mature trees are 20–25 m tall, with spreading, ovoid crowns. The bark at the bottom of the trunks is dark gray, thick, and cracked. At the top it is smoother and lighter, with a silvery sheen. The leaves are large: 7x12 cm in size, wedge-shaped, with a wide base, pointed, finely serrated edges. Top part leaves are dark green, glossy, the bottom is lighter, with a bluish tint. In the spring, when the buds open, the poplar emits a strong resinous odor.
White (silver)
Found throughout most of Russia, in Central Asia. Prefers fertile soils of river floodplains. The height of adult specimens is 25–30 m, the crowns are spherical and spreading. The bark is greenish-gray, noticeably lighter in the upper part of the tree. The leaves are ovate with notched edges. Above - dark green, smooth, the back side is light, silvery-green, with slight pubescence.
The species differs from others in its deep root system, it tolerates damage worse than others, the crowns suffer and become deformed from frequent haircuts.
Based on the silver poplar, decorative compact forms up to 7–12 m high have been developed for growing in gardens and home areas.
Black (sedge)
Distributed in the temperate zone of the European part, in Siberia, and the Caucasus. The trunks of mature trees are tall - up to 30 m, the crowns are wide-pyramidal. The bark is dark gray at the top, almost black at the bottom, with deep cracks. The leaves are diamond-shaped, with small teeth along the edges. It is frost-resistant and insensitive to polluted air. Used in landscaping.
Pyramidal
It comes from Asia Minor, is similar to black poplar and is considered a variety of it. It is distinguished by decorative narrow conical crowns. Suitable for creating hedges, alleys, and planting along roads. The leaves are triangular, serrated, smaller than those of sedge. Frost resistance is lower. The pyramidal poplar sheds its leaves later than others, remaining “dressed” until the end of October.
Laurel leaf
Northern species, grows mainly in Siberia. It is distinguished by the characteristic shape of its leaves: oval, with solid edges and a sharp tip, measuring 5x12 cm. The height of the trees is 17–25 m, the trunks are straight and have few branches. The bark is dark gray, the crowns are tent-shaped. The shoots are yellowish, with corky growths. Laurel-leaved poplar is unpretentious, grows on any soil, and tolerates prolonged frosts. Doesn't like extreme heat.
Fragrant
Far Eastern light-loving species. It grows very quickly, is resistant to prolonged cold, and is sensitive to polluted air. Trees reach a height of 20 m or more. The bark has a greenish-silver tint, the crowns are wide and spreading. Buds with a characteristic strong aroma. The leaves are large: 6×10 cm, heart-shaped, glossy. The back side is bluish-green, the petioles are slightly pubescent.
Canadian
Hybrid, one of the largest species: the height of the trunks of most trees reaches 40 meters. The crowns are regular, broadly pyramidal. Bark gray, smooth, with a small number of shallow cracks in the lower part. The leaves are dark green, wide, wedge-shaped, fragrant. They fall in late autumn. The winter hardiness of this species is lower than that of black or bay leaves. Canadian poplar grows very quickly and tolerates pruning well.
Landing
Poplars should be placed on flat areas away from buildings and communications. You should retreat at least 10 m from the walls of buildings, roads and sidewalks. The soil is preferably slightly alkaline or neutral, loose. Although poplars grow on almost any soil, heavy clay soils are undesirable for them.
Trees are traditionally planted in April or September. Holes for seedlings are dug with a depth and width of 60–70 cm. For group plantings, the distance between them should be at least 3 m. The bottom is covered with a drainage layer of 15–20 cm. Any organic fertilizer is added to the excavated soil: compost, humus or rotted manure. The root collar is left at surface level. Thin and long specimens are recommended to be tied to supports. After planting, the tree needs to be watered abundantly.
Care
No other methods of stimulating tree development are required. Poplars are one of those species that grow “before our eyes.” Most of them grow up to 80–100 cm in the first year after planting, while simultaneously gaining wood mass. If development is slow, organic and phosphorus fertilizers can be periodically added to the soil.
It is advisable to trim the crowns with early age: early spring or October. You can remove up to 30% of the shoot length per season. It is advisable to lubricate the cut areas with garden varnish to prevent fungal infections.
Reproduction
Poplars are usually bred by seed in nurseries, as they quickly lose their germination capacity. Vegetatively, poplar reproduces faster and easier. Cuttings and adventitious shoots are used as planting material. It develops in places where trunks are damaged, around the stumps of felled old trees. You can root young annual shoots.
The cuttings are cut 25–30 cm long and placed in moist soil for 2–3 months, leaving ¼ of the length outside. Before rooting, the sprouts are regularly moistened.
Diseases and pests
Swelling and raised brown spots on the bark of trees can be a sign of bacterial canker or dropsy. Infections lead to further appearance of deep cracks and wounds, and deformation of trunks. It is impossible to cure them at home; diseased seedlings are removed.
The appearance of reddish, brown, yellow or black growths, flagella, and droplets on the bark indicates damage by cytosporosis and other fungal diseases. In such cases, the trunks are treated with fungicides, diseased side shoots are removed.
The most famous pests of poplars are leafworm caterpillars, sawflies, mealbugs, scale insects, miners, aphids, and gall formers. Their presence can be guessed by damaged leaves, the appearance of spots, holes and growths on them. Affected trees should be regularly treated with insecticides, the crowns should be cut to most of their length, the soil under the trunks should be cleared of weeds and sprayed with chemicals.
Here you can download free pictures of a wide variety of tree leaves that can be found on our Planet.
Poster
Your child will get acquainted with such tree leaves as linden, chestnut, juniper, Bay leaf, rowan, magnolia, maple, mulberry leaf, oak, maklura, dwarf palm, pecan, persimmon leaf, cercis, pine, poplar, mahogany, sassafras, sequoia, red spruce, tripetal magnolia, liquidambar, plane tree, larch, hackberry, hawthorn , hemlock, hickory, holly, red alder, white ash, aspen, cypress, basswood, beech, birch, walnut, catalpa, cherry, red cedar, white cedar, coffee tree, deltoid poplar, dogwood, American elm, fir, willow , yew, Douglas fir, apricot leaf, yellow poplar, tupelo, Walnut. To download free pictures of tree leaves - click on the image below to print:
You can use this tree leaves material as a poster. Place it on the wall at the child’s eye level, from time to time go up to the poster and study which leaves are depicted on the poster. Alternatively, you can print out a second copy of the tree leaves and cut it into cards and match the tree leaves on the poster and on the cards.
Almost every person living in central Russia knows the appearance of aspen. The tree is equally attractive at any time of the year. It not only looks charming, but also brings many benefits. Certain parts of the plant are taken for production medicines and animal feed.
Almost every person living in central Russia knows the appearance of aspen
The correct name of the tree - “trembling poplar” - is not known to everyone. It received this name due to its ability to sway (tremble) intensely even from a slight blow of wind. Aspen has quite an impressive appearance- a columnar trunk with gray-olive bark and a lush crown. The trunk can be up to 1 m in diameter, and the height of a perennial representative often reaches 30-35 m.
With age, peculiar lentils form on the bark, which make the appearance of aspen even more attractive. It has high frost resistance. Grows in moist, acidified soil and is not afraid of shade. Distinctive feature It differs from similar trees, for example, poplar, in the unique shape of its leaves. It is also easy to calculate by the flowers that appear in the first days of spring.
The leaves are rhombic in shape with jagged edges, and their width often exceeds their length. The foliage is attached to the branches using thin cuttings, which also creates a trembling effect when swaying in the wind. The leaves of young aspen are similar to poplar, so they can sometimes be confused.
With age, peculiar lentils form on the bark, which make the appearance of aspen even more attractive. Unusual inflorescences appear on aspen trees with the arrival of the first warm days of spring. They are divided into women's and men's, and their shape resembles jewelry - earrings. Reproduction occurs thanks to the seeds, which are located on the inflorescences. They spread throughout the areas adjacent to the tree due to the small pappus that is present on each inflorescence.
Gallery: aspen tree (25 photos)
Why aspen always trembles (video)
Beneficial features
Aspen can confidently be called a useful tree. It has many properties that are used by humans in various areas of life. Thus, the bark is often used as a dietary supplement to food. It is cut into strips and dried. In winter, small quantities of crushed bark are added to food. This supplement tones and helps cope with fatigue.
The leaves of the tree are diamond-shaped, with jagged edges, and their width often exceeds their length. Some people make flour from the bark - aspen bast, which can be used for cooking.
The leaves and bark are often used as medicine. A decoction of the leaves is a good expectorant. It is drunk for influenza and ARVI to reduce fever and high body temperature. The decoction is also used to treat other diseases:
- hemorrhoids;
- diabetes mellitus;
- pancreatitis.
The use of aspen decoction is recommended for people suffering from diseases of the genitourinary system. A decoction or tincture is useful for problems with the gastrointestinal tract. You do not have to buy the medicine at the pharmacy; you can prepare it yourself. The recipe is simple: add dried or fresh leaves with a small amount of water and boil over low heat. Cool the resulting decoction and drink it in a certain dosage, which is best agreed with your doctor.
Common aspen (video)
Use in construction
Aspen is a tree from which good material for construction is obtained. For this purpose, trees older than 35 years are used. Objects made from this material look very attractive, since wood has White color, it is soft and pleasant to the touch.
It is not used for the construction of residential premises, but is often used for finishing baths and saunas.
Landscape designers often use this tree as a material to implement ideas for landscaping. Aspen is planted in parks and city areas, as it is perfect for landscaping areas. In spring and summer, the tree is covered with dense greenery, which in the fall takes on a bright red hue with orange and yellow splashes. The plant does not require special care and improves the quality of the soil in which it grows.
Detailed lesson will help you learn how to draw leaves step by step with a pencil. Leaves are an indispensable element of any summer or autumn landscape. The nature on our planet is incredibly diverse, and therefore there are many varieties of leaves, so drawing them is always very interesting. Drawing leaves is not difficult at all if you have just a little time and the right materials. We will show you how to draw leaves with a pencil step by step. Try drawing with us, and you will definitely like both the process and the result.
An easy way to draw Maple Leaf in 6 steps:
Draw a simple autumn leaf. This tutorial will be useful if you are drawing a detailed tree. Please note what colors we use and what transitions they have.
Draw an oak leaf in four simple steps. You don't even need to use an eraser, it's so simple!
And now - a more detailed lesson on drawing a leaf.
So, to draw leaves, we need Blank sheet paper, a simple pencil and an eraser. First of all, let's mark the sheet, draw the base, so that in the future it will be easy and convenient for us to draw. IN in this case we are drawing a beautiful maple leaf, so the base will look like this. You only need four lines to draw the base for the leaf.
Now we need the shape of the sheet so that the further drawing is neat and beautiful. Focusing on the previously drawn lines, we begin to draw cone-shaped figures, we should have five of them in total.
Next, we begin to draw the outlines of the sheet on top of the sketch. The base lines should be barely noticeable, otherwise the leaf pattern will turn out dirty and ugly. The jagged outline of the leaves is not difficult to draw if you try. If you don’t get it right the first time, use an eraser, you can practice on a rough draft until it starts to look nice.
Gradually draw the entire outline of the leaves. It should look something like this. Next, you will need to arm yourself with an eraser again and delete everything extra lines, leaving only the outline.
To make the painted leaves look natural, you need to draw a twig and veins. The veins won't be straight, so just draw by hand, don't use a ruler.
The final stage will be coloring. You can draw leaves using colored pencils, watercolor paints, gouache and other materials, you can choose exactly the ones you like best. In the end, this is what we ended up with.
The following picture shows how to draw beautiful tropical leaves in the shape of a heart.
- First we draw a base that resembles a heart. Let's draw a line in the middle.
- Let's start drawing the edges. There are notches on the edges of such tropical leaves; they must be marked.
- We draw the veins with a double line; here they should be neat and repeat the shape of the leaf. I also add some holes to the surface of the leaves.
- Color the drawn leaves in a tropical style. I'm using a cool turquoise green, you can get it by mixing green with blue. I add warm shades to the edges - they can be easily achieved by mixing yellow and green. Don't forget to leave the holes unpainted.
There are many more ways to draw leaves. For example, if you are a complete beginner, you will like the doodle technique. To draw these leaves you will need paper and a pen.
Have you ever wondered what kind of wood is used to make durable furniture? Or why in all the legends is it the aspen stake that kills vampires? It seems that such a familiar name is aspen, but many cannot even describe this tree. Some people confuse it with poplar. We will talk about what aspen is, photos of the tree and leaves will help in the future to identify it by external signs. The article contains information about where the aspen tree grows, its photo and description, as well as what kind of furniture is made from aspen wood.
Aspen branch with leaves
What is aspen - botanical information
Sometimes someone gets confused whether a coniferous tree is aspen or deciduous. We answer: this is a fast-growing deciduous tree up to 35 m tall from the Willow family of the Poplar genus. The Latin name is Pópulus trémula. The diameter of an adult tree is 1 m. How many years does aspen live? Botanical encyclopedias answer this way: average duration its life is 80 years, although there are specimens that “celebrated” their 150th anniversary. Usually, in old age, this representative of the Poplar genus is susceptible to tree diseases.
Numerous root shoots can be seen around the common aspen. The roots go deep into the ground, but there are many shoots.
Mature aspen In the photo below, notice the smooth greenish bark of the young aspen. The wood inside is a pleasant white-green shade. The leaves resemble a diamond, up to 7 cm in size; the top of the leaf can be either sharp or blunt, but the base is always rounded. Interestingly, the leaves of the shoots are always larger and look like a heart.
Young aspen bark Aspen is dioecious; both sexes have dangling catkins. In male aspen they are red in color, and in female aspen they are greenish. Flowering occurs in early spring before the leaves emerge.
Where aspen grows: growing areas
This tree is quite common in Russia: aspen can be found in the central zone of the country, Arkhangelsk, Vologda regions, Transbaikalia, and the middle Volga region. The favorite place of growth is considered to be forest and forest-steppe zones, banks of reservoirs, swamps, and ravines.
The tree is not very picky about the choice of soil. Once in any soil, the aspen will eventually spread in different directions, where a young aspen forest will form. What trees grow in the aspen forest? These can be pine, spruce or birch. You can find one or more aspens among a birch grove, in an alder forest and next to oak trees.
The aspen tree can be heard from afar with the noise of its trembling leaves It is more difficult to grow in the steppe, and aspen shoots root shoots up to 40 m in different directions from the mother tree. After a few years of such capture, an aspen clump will form in the steppe, which will occupy many hectares over several decades.
After a fire, aspen trees recover very quickly thanks to their deep root system.
This interesting representative of the willow family is widespread not only in Russia, it has also invaded the forests of Europe, the Mongolian and Kazakh steppes, and the Korean Peninsula.
Why does the aspen tree tremble?
Anyone who has seen an aspen immediately notices the trembling of its leaves. This is a completely normal process for such moving foliage. It's all about the petiole of the leaf: it is thin and long, flattened on the sides, so it bends easily. The leaf easily sways from the slightest breeze on such a thin petiole. Another name for aspen is trembling poplar.
Basic properties of aspen
Aspen has been loved since ancient times for its beneficial features. Not only wood is valuable for making furniture and baths, but also bark. In times of famine, aspen bast was ground into flour and baked into bread. The branches of the lower tier are still used in our time to prevent damage sauerkraut when preparing. This cabbage can be stored without problems until late spring. The crushed bark is added to food by foresters and hunters to relieve fatigue.
Medicinal properties
To understand why aspen is considered healing, consider it chemical composition. Tree bark contains glucose, sucrose, and fructose. In addition, it contains a lot of aromatic acids, tannins, higher fatty acids, as well as salicin and populin.
Aspen bark is used for medicinal purposes
The buds are rich in raffinose, fructose, the same aromatic acids, tannins, and triglycerides of phenolcarboxylic acids.
The leaves are also a storehouse of organic acids, carbohydrates, vitamin C, carotene, anthocyanins, flavonoids and some other substances.
Based on such a rich composition, the antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antitussive, choleretic and anthelmintic properties of aspen parts were revealed. Infusions of buds, leaves and bark, and aqueous extracts of tree bark are used.
Properties of wood
The wood is homogeneous, so it does not cause problems either during cutting or processing. Abrasion resistance has been noted. Aspen wood is dense (490 kg/m³) and moderately hard (1.86 Brinell).
The wood structure is straight-grained and light. Summer hats are made from thin aspen shavings by weaving. The use of shavings is not limited to hats. It is dyed with aniline dyes to make flowers. It is known to use pressed shavings for packaging containers.
When working with aspen wood, it is noticeable that it splits easily and cracks quite a bit.
Aspen carving Aspen is widely used: they make dishes, aspen ploughshares were used for roofing domes, making matches, woodcarvers also love to work with this wood.
What aspen looks like - photo gallery
Aspen undergrowth is attractive for walking. To get to know this tree better, we have selected a number of photographs. Now you can be sure that you will not confuse this tree with any other.
Photo of aspen tree
Aspen leaf photo
What does aspen look like in winter?
Winter aspen forest
Lonely aspen in winter dress
In the photo, the aspen tree looks fabulous in winter
Advantages of planting aspen in a summer cottage
In the villages there is an aspen tree outside the yard - frequent guest. It is not particularly bothered by shade and also grows well in the sun. People's beliefs speak of the ability of this tree next to the house to protect residents from evil spirits and negative energy. This belief is based on diseases affecting the tree trunk. If a tree is sick, it means it attracts everything bad to itself - such conclusions were drawn in the villages.
Aspen forest on the canvas of I.I. Levitan Today, the importance of aspen is consigned to history, and this tree is planted in the countryside for beauty and to improve soil fertility.
Soil improvement
All the leaves that this tree sheds in the fall decompose very quickly, increasing the looseness of the soil and turning into humus. Experienced gardeners know that aspen trees should be planted on clay infertile soils, because with its strong, deep roots the tree helps other plants and trees subsequently develop such soil.
Landscape design opportunities
Aspen trees are actively planted within the city as landscaping. These trees hold back gusts of wind well and strengthen the banks near reservoirs. Even representatives of the fauna steppe zone they are not particularly willing to penetrate the forest if an aspen tree grows on its border. If aspen is used as a material for landscape design of a holiday village, it is done not only because of the decorative qualities of the tree, but also because a number of aspens are fire-resistant plantings: the tree does not burn well.
Decorative features boil down to the rapid leafing of the tree after pruning and beautiful autumn foliage. Breeders have developed several hybrids that have a pyramidal shape or weeping tiers.
Autumn alley of aspens The use of aspen in construction
The wood, even after a long stay in a humid environment, does not crack or warp. Aspen wood retains heat well.
Application of aspen today:
- lining;
- board for baths and saunas;
- shingle;
- ploughshare for wooden churches;
- matches;
- carved decorative items.
Bathhouse lined with aspen clapboard The use of aspen in furniture production
We found out the qualities of aspen wood above; based on them, the use of aspen in furniture production is clear: it is recommended for high indoor humidity. Combined with the fact that there will be no burns from touching hot wood, aspen furniture fits well into the decor of a bathhouse or sauna.
The price of aspen furniture is low, but it gives off a pleasant smell of calm. In addition, such a piece of furniture is difficult to get dirty. However, some people find furniture made from this type of wood unpresentable. If a diseased tree was used, then there is a possibility of the furniture rotting from the inside. We recommend aspen furniture to those who have chosen a country style for their home.
We hope that information about aspen wood, its use and properties was useful.