balsam poplar Salicaceae Populus balsamifera ssp. balsamifera L.   symbol: POBAB2
	Leaf: Alternate, simple, ovate, finely serrated, 3 to 6 inches long, shiny dark green, paler and often blotchy orange below, petiole long with glands at the leaf base. Flower: Dioecious; male and female as hanging, long (several inches), pale yellow-green catkins; appearing in early spring. Fruit: Small, 2-valved, dry capsule containing numerous small seeds. Twig: Moderately stout, round, shiny reddish brown, orange lenticels, buds are reddish brown to brown, long (1 inch), curved, resinous and fragrant. Twig has a bitter aspirin taste. Bark: Greenish gray with lighter lenticels when young, later becoming darker and furrowed with long, scaly ridges. Form: Medium sized tree reaching up to 80 feet tall, narrow, pyramidal crown.
	USDAFS Silvics of North America - USDAFS Additional Silvics - Landowner Factsheet - USDA Plants Database Populus balsamifera ssp. balsamifera is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. See states reporting balsam poplar (opens a new window).