POPLAR or POPPLE?

[lost in the woods]

Ladies and gentlemen,

i read 2 posts over the last few weeks which included photos of trees or parts of trees and many users are referring Aspen (populous sp.) as "poplar"

ASPEN IS NOT POPLAR

I have heard it referred to as 'popple' but not poplar until joining this forum

Yellow Poplar (liriodendron tulipifera) is poplar.

 

[baseroom]

Populus, the plant genus which includes most poplars, as well as aspen and cottonwood

Well it is around here! Tulip poplar is a different tree all together.
Liriodendron, the genus of tulip poplars

• Yellow poplar or tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera)

 

[johneh]

Wikipedia
Populus is a genus of 25–35 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar /ˈpɒp.lər/, aspen, and cottonwood.
Draw your own conclusions

 

[baseroom]

Bingo

Wikipedia
Populus is a genus of 25–35 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar /ˈpɒp.lər/, aspen, and cottonwood.
Draw your own conclusions

 

[billb3]

Yeah, yellow poplar, often called by it's common name "poplar" isn't even a poplar.
Yellow poplar (liriodendron ) is part of the Magnolia family.

All the other "poplars" - white and black, aspens, cottonwoods are all part of the "populus" family of poplars.


It's like red cedars here are actually junipers and Atlantic white cedars here are actually part of the cypress family.
You still pretty much have to use the common local name or few will know what you're talking about.

 

[kennyp2339]

how about popular poplar

 

[TreePointer]

Common names vs. Taxonomic classification (scientific name/classification)

There is an "English white oak" tree whose leaves are familiar to many, and most people refer to the tree simply as "white oak."

However, to a biologist and specifically a taxonomist, "white oak" refers to a section (grouping) of oaks that includes English white oak, post oak, bur oak, and dozens of others with similar characteristics.

So if someone says, "No, that's not a white oak. It's a post oak," they are not wrong if they are using common names but it is a confusing way to refer to them. It's also correct to say, "A post oak is a white oak."

When comes to poplars, the grouping the Aspens in with poplars is (IMO) appropriate and helpful for our forum discussions because the firewood that comes from them has a lot of similar characteristics--lightweight after seasoning, low BTUs, quick burning. Also note that a common name for the Aspens is "white poplar."

 

[HisTreeNut]

Poplar or Popple?
I refer to it as "BTU's that make the wifey warm and happy."

 

[TreePointer]

These days with all the dying ash that needs to be harvested, popple just rots on the ground.

 

[kennyp2339]

Poplar or Popple?
I refer to it as "BTU's that make the wifey warm and happy."

Happy wife happy life

 

[firefighterjake]

Around here poplar = popple = quaking aspen.

Tamarack = hackmatack = juniper (although technically the only true juniper is ground juniper).

Pine = pine (when you live in The Pine Tree State hardly anyone refers to all softwoods as pines).

 

[Hasufel]

Yeah, yellow poplar, often called by it's common name "poplar" isn't even a poplar.
Yellow poplar (liriodendron ) is part of the Magnolia family.

All the other "poplars" - white and black, aspens, cottonwoods are all part of the "populus" family of poplars.

Actual botany aside, around here poplars = tulip poplars. FWIW, lumber identified as "poplar" is from yellow/tulip poplar.