Balsam poplar

Description

A fragrant deciduous poplar tree, Populus balsamifer or Populus tac a ma haca, which grows in swampy soils in northern U.S. and Canada. The balsam poplar has soft, straight-grain wood that is weak. It is mainly used for crates, excelsior, and pulpwood. Occasionally it is used for painted millwork.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Populus balsamifer; Populus tac a ma hac; Ontario poplar; tacamahac; hackmatack

Authority

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 250

• Dictionary of Building Preservation, Ward Bucher, ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York City, 1996

• Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "poplar" Encyclopædia Britannica [Accessed November 7, 2001].

• Gordon Hanlon, contributed information, 1998