Balsam Poplar
Populus balsamifera
The northernmost American hardwood, balsam poplar fills spring air with the sweet balsam scent of its resinous, sticky buds. A fast, cold-hardy riparian tree of the boreal North.
- Family
- Salicaceae
- Type
- tree
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 50–80 ft
- Spacing
- 25–40 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- moist, wet
- Soil pH
- acidic, neutral
- Bloom
- April, May
- Bloom colors
- green, brown
- Wildlife value
- songbirds, larval host, mammals
- Caterpillar hosts
- ~367 butterfly & moth species
- Landscape uses
- specimen, rain garden, erosion control
- Native states
- AK, CO, CT, ID, MA, ME, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, PA, SD, VT, WI, WY