Image to followAI-generated illustrationPopulus alba
Populus alba
FamilyGenus: Populusnative in Germany
🌿
27
Species
interact
🔗
33
Interactions
documented
🐛
11
Host relationships
Species
About this species
A deciduous, broad‑leaved tree reaching 27 m tall. It prefers partial shade and moderately moist, calcareous soils. Flowering from March to May, it produces tiny wind‑dispersed seeds. Populus alba is an introduced species that has become established in Great Britain.
Ecological network
Click to highlight connections · Click again to open the species page
Loading network...
PollinationLarval hostFlower visit
Ecological significance
Populus alba is an introduced tree in Great Britain that has become established. It is a deciduous broad‑leaved species with no documented invasive or negative ecological impacts in the UK.
Annual cycle
Deciduous treeleafless in winter, leaf emergence in spring. Flowering occurs from March to May. Tiny seeds are wind‑dispersed. Leaves turn yellow and are shed in autumn.
Standort & Merkmale
Light
Halbschatten
Moisture
Frisch (Mäßig feucht)
Soil
Mittelzehrer (Normaler Boden)
Flowering period
Mär – Mai
Soil reaction
Basisch / Kalkhold
Bioregion
Continental
Growth form
Baum
Woodiness
Verholzt
Leaf type
Breitblättrig
Leaf phenology
Laubabwerfend
Plant height
27.371 m
Morphological traits: TRY ID3 (CC BY 3.0) & TRY ID81 (CC BY)
Pflege & Anbau
•
Light: Partial shade.
•
Water: Keep soil moderately moist; avoid saline conditions.
•
Soil: Best on calcareous, medium‑fertility ground.
•
Maintenance: Deciduous; leaf fall in autumn can be cleared as needed.
Scientific profile
Populus alba is a deciduous, broad‑leaved tree that normally reaches a height of around 27 metres. It grows in partial shade and moderately moist conditions, favouring calcareous soils of medium fertility and showing little tolerance to salt. The tree flowers from March to May, producing very fine seeds (diaspore mass about 0.12 mg). In Great Britain it is an introduced species that has become established in the wild.
Pollinators & visitors
5 Arten interagieren mit dieser Pflanze
Nymphalis antiopaNymphalis polychlorosApatura ilia (Denis & Schiffermüller), 1775Lymantria disparOrgyia antiqua
Host relationships
11 species use this plant as a host
Apatura irisTethea ocularisLeucoma salicisCatocala nuptaIpimorpha subtusaClostera pigraClostera curtulaAcronicta megacephala (Denis & Schiffermüller), 1775Odontopera bidentataNotodonta ziczacLaothoe populi
Other flower visitors
11 other species visit the flowers
Castor fiberNyctalus noctulaPsittacula krameriAdalia bipunctataOenopia conglobataCoccinella septempunctataDendrocopos majorDendrocoptes mediusHippodamia variegataClytra laeviusculaPhyllobius oblongus
Sources & data origin
•Cook et al. (2025) UK Butterfly & Moth Traits (DOI: 10.5285/dbc7cc17-cbbd-49dd-bab4-8e8855768d66)
•Interaktionsdaten via GloBI (CC-BY 4.0)
•FloraWeb / BfN
•EIVE 1.0 — Dengler et al. (2023), DOI: 10.3897/VCS.98324 (CC BY 4.0)
•GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — GBIF Secretariat (2024), DOI: 10.15468/39omei (CC BY 4.0)
•TRY Categorical Traits (ID3) — Kattge et al. (2012), DOI: 10.17871/TRY.3 (CC BY 3.0)
•TRY Global Spectrum (ID81) — Díaz et al. (2016/2021), DOI: 10.17871/TRY.81 (CC BY)
•Checklist Alien Plants Belgium — Verloove F (2023), Botanic Garden Meise (CC BY 4.0)
•Govaerts R et al. (2025) — World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) v14. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. DOI: 10.34885/xs7h-ze42 (CC BY 4.0)
All data is licensed under CC BY 4.0, CC0, or compatible terms. Attribution according to license conditions. Full source overview →