Populus simonii

Populus simonii, Simon's poplar, Simon poplar, or Chinese cottonwood, is a species of poplar native to northeast China and to Mongolia, and commonly planted as a street tree in cool temperate areas of Europe. There have been introductions into North America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Description

A small tree. It grows 24-30 m high and spreads 8 m wide. It has a narrow crown. The tips of the branches hang down. The young twigs and leaf stalks are red. The leaves are green and 10 cm long.

Edible Uses

Young leaves can be harvested and eaten cooked.

Medicinal Uses

Although no specific records have been found for this species, the bark of most — if not all — members of the genus contains salicin, a glycoside that probably decomposes into salicylic acid (aspirin) in the body. The bark is therefore anodyne, anti-inflammatory, and febrifuge, used especially for rheumatism and fevers, and to relieve the pain of menstrual cramps.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It suits hardiness zones 2-9.

Where It Grows

Asia, Australia, Canada, Central Asia, China, Korea, North America, Tajikistan, USA,

Cultivation

An easily grown plant, it does well in a heavy cold damp soil. Prefers a deep rich well-drained circumneutral soil, growing best in the south and east of Britain. Growth is much less on wet soils, on poor acid soils and on thin dry soils. It does not do well in exposed upland sites. It dislikes shade and is intolerant of root or branch competition. Plants are susceptible to bacterial canker. The leaf buds, as they swell in the spring, and the young leaves have a pleasing fragrance of balsam. The fragrance is especially pronounced as the leaves unfold. This species is often planted for timber in central Europe and occasionally elsewhere in Europe. Poplars have very extensive and aggressive root systems that can invade and damage drainage systems. Especially when grown on clay soils, they should not be planted within 12 metres of buildings since the root system can damage the building's foundations by drying out the soil. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus.

Propagation

Seed must be sown as soon as it is ripe in spring, as poplar seed has an extremely short period of viability and must be sown within a few days of ripening. Surface sow or just lightly cover the seed in trays in a cold frame. Prick out seedlings into individual pots when large enough to handle and grow on in the cold frame. If sufficient growth is made, plants can go out in late summer; otherwise keep in the cold frame until the following late spring. Most poplar species hybridize freely, so seed may not come true unless collected from the wild where no other poplars grow. Take cuttings of mature wood from the current season's growth, 20–40cm long, in November or December, in a sheltered outdoor bed or direct into permanent positions — very easy. Suckers can be taken in early spring.

Other Uses

An extract of the shoots serves as a rooting hormone for all types of cuttings, prepared by soaking the chopped shoots in cold water for a day. The wood is soft, rather woolly in texture, without smell or taste, of low flammability, not durable, and very resistant to abrasion.

Notes

There are about 35 Populus species.

References (6)

• Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 1073
• Farrar, J.L., 1995, Trees of the Northern United States and Canada. Iowa State University press/Ames p 350
• Hibbert, M., 2002, The Aussie Plant Finder 2002, Florilegium. p 238
• Lord, E.E., & Willis, J.H., 1999, Shrubs and Trees for Australian gardens. Lothian. p 66
• Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/

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