Populus alba

Tree to c. 20 m high; bark greyish-white, becoming rough on older trunks; young shoots densely white-tomentose. Buds ovoid, densely white-tomentose. Leaves of 2 kinds; those toward the apex of long-shoots usually deeply palmatifid (maple-like), 3–12 cm long and wide, ultimately glabrous and dark green above, remaining densely white-tomentose below; leaves of short-shoots ovate, irregularly and bluntly sinuate-lobed, 3–6(–8) cm long and wide, glabrous above, variably white-tomentose to greyish-glabrescent below. Catkins appearing before leaves; catkin-scales entire, ovate to obovate. Male catkins 4–7 cm long; stamens 5–10, anthers purple. Female catkins 3–5 cm long (to c. 8 cm in fruit); with stigmas bilobed from the base (appearing as a 4-rayed stigma). Capsule c. 3 mm long, dehiscing via 2 valves. Flowers ? Aug.–Sep.