Poplar
Description
Any of several hardwood trees from the genus Populus. The trees are in the willow family and are found in temperate regions of the Northern hemisphere. There are four basic classes of poplar trees:
1) poplar balsam poplar (cottonwood),
2) black poplar (poplar English poplar),
3) white poplar (Populus alba)
5) trembling poplar (aspen)
In general, poplar is a soft, lightweight wood that is easy to work. The wood has a fine, uniform grain but it is prone to warping. It is primarily used for paneling, light construction, packing crates, cardboard and paper pulp. Poplar was frequently used in Italian panel paintings and for sculptures in southern Germany in the late Gothic period.
Synonyms and Related Terms
white poplar (Populus alba); peuplier (Fr.), chopo (Esp.); lamo (Esp.); choupo branco (Port.); pioppo (It.)
Other Properties
Annual rings = well-defined. Rays = fine
| Density | 22-35 ppcf |
|---|
Additional Information
Schoch, W., Heller, I., Schweingruber, F.H., Kienast, F., 2004:Wood anatomy of central European Species: White Poplar,Populus alba L.
Authority
- R. J. Gettens, G.L. Stout, R. J. Gettens, G.L. Stout, Painting Materials, A Short Encyclopaedia, Dover Publications, New York, 1966
- G.S.Brady, G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 629
- Hermann Kuhn, Hermann Kuhn, Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art and Antiquities, Butterworths, London, 1986
- F. H. Titmuss, F. H. Titmuss, Commercial Timbers of the World, The Technical Press Ltd., London, 1965 Comment: 25-35 ppcf
- Dictionary of Building Preservation, Ward Bucher, ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York City, 1996
- Pam Hatchfield, Pam Hatchfield, Pollutants in the Museum Environment, Archetype Press, London, 2002
- Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "poplar" Encyclopdia Britannica [Accessed November 7, 2001].
- CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, Robert Weast (ed.), CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, v. 61, 1980 Comment: density=22-31 ppcf (0.35-0.50 g/cm3)