Populus talassica Kom.

Similar to Populus laurifolia, but long shoots less elongate, not angled; leaves on short shoots smaller; geographical distribution different.

Trees; bark grayish green; crown spreading. Suckers russet or gray, slightly angled, at first pilose, becoming nearly glabrescent; branchlets gray, subterete, glabrous; short branchlets russet, tomentulose. Leaves of short branchlets with petiole terete, 2-4 cm, subglabrous or glabrous; leaf blade ovate-orbicular or ovate-elliptic, 5-8 × 3-5 cm, lanceolate to broadly lanceolate and 5-10 × 1.5-3 cm on sprouts, abaxially pale along veins, often pilose, adaxially greenish, glabrous, base cuneate, broadly cuneate, or rounded, margin shallowly crenate, apex acuminate. Male catkin 3-4 cm; rachis glabrous. Male flower: anthers purple. Fruiting catkin 5-6 cm, elongated to 10 cm when mature; rachis pilose. Capsule ovoid, 5-8 mm, tomentose, 3-valved; shortly stipitate. Fl. May, fr. Jun.

C Xinjiang (Tian Shan) [S Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan]

Rivers; 500-1800 m.

Populus densa Komarov.