Simon's Poplar

Family Salicaceae. Ornamental tree up to 20 m tall, with a graceful, oval, slightly pendulous crown, with strongly ribbed leading shoots and thin, somewhat drooping lateral shoots.

Trunk slender, smooth, greenish-gray. Leaves small, rhombic or oval, with a wedge-shaped base and an acute apex, dark green, with prominent red veins, on very short, reddish petioles (up to 1 cm), glaucous-whitish beneath.

In cultivation only male specimens are known. Due to its light bark and drooping branches it somewhat resembles a birch from a distance. It grows very fast when young, with age noticeably lagging in growth compared to other poplars. A negative trait is the brittleness of the branches in strong wind and heavy snowfall. In cultivation it is found as far north as Moscow; further north and east it is sometimes damaged by spring frosts. It is of great importance for southern regions, as it is considerably resistant to dryness of the air and soil. Can be used for street and avenue plantings, sparse groups.