Practical
Plants

Populus balsamifera

Balsam Poplar

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Populus genus in the family Salicaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Populus
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
vigorous
Height
30 m
Spread
8 m
Fertility
Self sterile, Wind
Flower type
dioecious
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Inner bark[4][8][18]. It is best used in spring[7]. Mucilaginous[18]. There are no more details but inner bark is often dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickener in soups etc or added to cereals when making bread. Catkins - raw or cooked. A bitter flavour[7].

Plant part
Flowers
Plant part
Inner bark

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Balsam poplar has a long history of medicinal use. It was valued by several native North American Indian tribes who used it to treat a variety of complaints, but especially to treat skin problems and lung ailments[18]. In modern herbalism it is valued as an expectorant and antiseptic tonic. The leaf buds are antiscorbutic, antiseptic, diuretic, expectorant, stimulant, tonic[19][20][21][5][7]. The leaf buds are covered with a resinous sap that has a strong turpentine odour and a bitter taste[11].They are boiled in order to separate the resin and the resin is then dissolved in alcohol[12]. The resin is a folk remedy, used as a salve and wash for sores, rheumatism, wounds etc[12][18]. It is made into a tea and used as a wash for sprains, inflammation, muscle pains etc[12]. Internally, the tea is used in the treatment of lung ailments and coughs[12]. The buds can also be put in hot water and used as an inhalant to relieve congested nasal passages[11]. The bark is cathartic and tonic[19]. Although no specific mention has been seen for this species, the bark of most, if not all members of the genus contain salicin, a glycoside that probably decomposes into salicylic acid (aspirin) in the body[11][16]. The bark is therefore anodyne, anti-inflammatory and febrifuge. It is used especially in treating rheumatism and fevers, and also to relieve the pain of menstrual cramps[16]. A tea made from the inner bark is used as an eye wash and in the treatment of scurvy[12].

Product or use
Anodyne
Product or use
Antiinflammatory
Product or use
Antiscorbutic
Product or use
Antiseptic
Product or use
Cathartic
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Expectorant
Product or use
Febrifuge
Product or use
Stimulant
Product or use
Tonic

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

An extract of the shoots can be used as a rooting hormone for all types of cuttings. It is extracted by soaking the chopped up shoots in cold water for a day[7]. The resin obtained from the buds was used by various native North American Indian tribes to waterproof the seams on their canoes[13]. The resin on the buds has been used as an insect repellent[18]. The bark has been burnt to repel mosquitoes[18]. A pioneer species, capable of invading cleared land and paving the way for other woodland trees[14]. It is not very shade tolerant and so it is eventually out-competed by the woodland trees. Wood - soft, light, rather woolly in texture, without smell or taste, of low flammability, not durable, very resistant to abrasion[2][20][21][6]. It weighs 23lb per cubic foot[15], and is used for pulp, boxes etc[2][20][21][6]. The wood is also used as a fuel, it gives off a pleasant odour when burning[13].

Product or use
Repellent
Product or use
Resin
Product or use
Rooting hormone
Product or use
Wood

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Canopy

Environment

Range
Northern N. America - Newfoundland to Alaska, south to New England, Iowa and Colorado.
Habitat
Deep moist sandy soils of river bottomlands, stream banks, borders of lakes and swamps[14].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 2+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay, heavy clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - must be sown as soon as it is ripe in spring[3]. Poplar seed has an extremely short period of viability and needs to be sown within a few days of ripening[10]. Surface sow or just lightly cover the seed in trays in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the old frame. If sufficient growth is made, it might be possible to plant them out in late summer into their permanent positions, otherwise keep them in the cold frame until the following late spring and then plant them out. Most poplar species hybridize freely with each other, so the seed may not come true unless it is collected from the wild in areas with no other poplar species growing[2]. Cuttings of mature wood of the current season's growth, 20 - 40cm long, November/December in a sheltered outdoor bed or direct into their permanent positions. Very easy. Suckers in early spring[22].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

An easily grown plant, it does well in a heavy cold damp soil[1], though it prefers a deep rich well-drained circumneutral soil, growing best in the south and east of Britain[2][10]. Growth is much less on wet soils, on poor acid soils and on thin dry soils[2]. Does not do well in exposed upland sites[2]. Dislikes shade, it is intolerant of root or branch competition[10]. A fast-growing and generally short-lived tree, though specimens 150 - 200 years old have occasionally been recorded[229. This is a pioneer species, invading cleared land, old fields etc, but unable to tolerate shade competition and eventually being out-competed by other trees[14]. It is not fully satisfactory in Britain[2]. In spring and early summer the buds and young leaves have a strong fragrance of balsam[9][17]. 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[2]. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[10]. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8

  3. Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0942375009

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  4. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

    ↩

  5. Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.

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  6. Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  7. Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  8. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  9. Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7

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  10. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  11. Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-449-90589-6

    ↩1↩2↩3

  12. Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0395467225

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  13. Lauriault. J. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Ontario. 1989-00-00 ISBN 0889025649

    ↩1↩2

  14. Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980-00-00 ISBN 0442238622

    ↩1↩2↩3

  15. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

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  16. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

    ↩1↩2

  17. Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8

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  18. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  19. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2

  20. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  21. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩1↩2↩3

  22. Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00

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