#143 BERLIN POPLAR
Populus × berolinensis ‘Petrowskyana’
This tree can be found at the west end of the Central Path.
| Distribution: | The Hybrid ‘Petrowskyana’ was raised in Russia in 1880 Populus xberolinensis is an uncommon tree in this country, but is widely planted in the prairie regions of North America and the more continental parts of Europe, where it withstands the harsh winters and hot summers better than most poplars. A supposed hybrid between Populus laurifolia (female) and the Lombardy poplar Populus nigra ‘italica’, which arose in the Botanic Garden of Berlin some time before 1865. The original tree was female. The specific name berolensis means ‘of Berlin’. There is also a male form, originally distributed as Populus certinensis, which is of unknown origin, but is believed to have originated in France. Populus xberolinensis is reported to occur occasionally in the wild where the two parent species are in contact. |
| Planting Date: | 1927 |
| Bought from: | Hillier Nurseries, Romsey, Hampshire |
| Growth Habit: | A handsome tree of slender columnar shape, with downy, slightly angled young shoots. |
| Leaf: | The leaves are broadly ovate and rounded at the base, or somewhat diamond-shaped and wedge-shaped at the base, slender-pointed, finely toothed like those of P. laurifolia, and with a thin translucent border, 4 cm to 10 cm long, upper surface bright green, lower side pale, scarcely whitish, both sides soon glabrous; leaf-stalk downy at first, 1.9 cm to 3.8 cm long, not flattened. |
| Flowers: | Buds viscid and pointed. |
| Tree height and girth in 2023 | Height 27 m and girth 219 cm |
| Uses: | Largely ornamental but good for shelter-belts. |
| Introduction Date: | The Hybrid ‘Petrowskyana’ was raised in Russia in 1880 and introduced to the UK in 1890. |
| Anecdotes and Comments: | Rated County Champion by Height and Girth by The Tree Register in 2023 |