Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Malpighiales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Populus balsamifera
FAMILY
Salicaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read about Balsam Poplar at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Populus balsamifera ssp. balsamifera
FAMILY
Salicaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Populus balsamifera ssp. balsamifera
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 7 (2010)
Populus balsamifera
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Populus balsamifera ssp. balsamifera
INCLUDING Gray's Manual of Botany (Fernald, 1950)
Populus balsamifera var. balsamifera
COMMON NAME:
Balsam Poplar, Hackmatack, Tacamahac
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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Trees You Want to Know (Peattie, 1934); illustration by F.A. Michaux dcp34_p21
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Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905) mtna_i_168
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Populus balsamifera
FAMILY
Salicaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Populus balsamifera ssp. balsamifera
FAMILY
Salicaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Populus balsamifera ssp. balsamifera
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 7
Populus balsamifera
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Populus balsamifera ssp. balsamifera
INCLUDING
Gray's Manual of Botany (Fernald, 1950)
Populus balsamifera var. balsamifera
4343
Tree
Perennial
Dioecious
Habitat: floodplains, disturbed areas. Occurring further north in a variety of habitats such as depressions, drainages, river bottoms, spruce-aspen forests, or on well-drained sites atop glacial deposits, per Weakley's Flora
Native: north of the Carolinas & Georgia
Rare
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate
Petioles 7-10cm long
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Sepals absent
Petals absent
20-30 stamens
Superior ovary
Unisexual
Flowers in catkins, inflorescence pendulous
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".