Why are Black Poplars rare?
The native Black Poplar Populus nigra. Var betufolia is one of Britains most endangered trees, and the Vale of Aylesbury is the trees classic location. Currently there are reckoned to be about 5000 trees here, of which around 1200 are in the Long Marston, Willstone and Puttenham area. Black Poplars prefer to grow with their roots in damp ground, so you find them mostly along streams, ditches and by ponds. Although the habitat is common in the locality, some ditches and ponds may be filling in because of lack of maintenance. Individual trees are either male or female, that is they are dioecious. Most of the Black Poplars here were probably planted in the nineteenth century. Because the female trees produce masses of fluffy seed that can be inconvenient, cuttings from females were rarely used. Even if the male and female trees grow near to each other and seed is produced it has to land on a piece of mud that stays wet for some days before a new tree germinates. Sometimes the tree will re
