How do you recognise White poplar (Populus alba)?

Leaf

antoineval, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0

White poplar

Populus alba L.

Also known as: Abele

Family: Salicaceae

20 to 30 m tall

Riverbanks, alluvial plains

Flowering: February – March

Part shade

Full sun

-34°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

The white, felted undersides of the leaves shimmer in the wind — an instant identification clue. Both have foliage that trembles in the wind, but white poplar has white, downy leaf undersides, whereas aspen has leaves that are green on both sides with a long, flattened petiole that causes the trembling.

🍃 Leaves

Lobed like a maple leaf, underside white and felted

🌸 Flowers

Silvery-grey catkins

🍎 Fruits

Capsules with cottony seeds

🪵 Bark

Greyish-white, smooth, marked with dark diamond-shaped patches

🗺️ Distribution

Europe, western Asia, North Africa; common in France along watercourses, especially in the south

🐝 Value for pollinators

Early catkins producing pollen, of little attraction to insects

✂️ Horticultural uses

Planted in avenues and along riverbanks, valued for the silvery-white undersides of its leaves

⚠️ Possible toxicity

No known toxicity

🌱 Known cultivars

'Pyramidalis'

This cultivar grows in a narrow, upright column, very different from the broad, spreading habit of the wild species, while keeping the silvery leaf undersides typical of the species.

⚠️ Look-alike species

White poplar

Populus alba

European aspen

Populus tremula

Both have foliage that trembles in the wind, but white poplar has white, downy leaf undersides, whereas aspen has leaves that are green on both sides with a long, flattened petiole that causes the trembling.

🌿 Other Salicaceae to discover

Weeping willow

Salix × sepulcralis 'Chrysocoma'

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.