Populus nigra

Black poplar, lombardy poplar, Lombardy Poplar

Family: Salicaceae · Type: tree · Not Native

Black poplar is a naturalized tree found in southern California coastal areas, southern Sierra Nevada, eastern Sierra Nevada, and Mojave Desert regions in disturbed places near settlements at elevations of 600 to 1,800 meters. Flowering from February to May, this tree produces yellow-green flowers with distinctive red-brown winter buds. Growing to 20 meters tall with a wide or slender crown, it has yellow-brown twigs that spread in an open, branching pattern. Its deltate to rhomboid leaves are 3 to 5 centimeters long with crenate to serrate margins, presenting a bright green surface and a base that ranges from nearly truncate to slightly tapered. The tree's distinctive red-brown buds and yellow-brown twigs make it easily recognizable in disturbed urban and settlement landscapes.

Habitat: Disturbed places near settlements

Bloom period: Feb-May

Elevation: 600-1800 m

Bioregions: SnFrB, SCo, SNE, DMoj, expected elsewhere

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.