From February you can see the typical catkin flowers on poplar trees, from which the fruits with the characteristic, woolly flying seeds develop later in the year. You can find out interesting information about the flowers of the Populus genus in the following article.
When do poplar trees bloom and what do their flowers look like?
Poplar trees produce catkin flowers as an inflorescence from February to April, although male and female flowers look different in some species. Flowering begins in adolescence from around 6 to 11 years.
Poplars are typical early bloomers
The poplar is one of the native trees that bloom early in the year. Their flowering period is between February and April. And like some other early bloomers, such as hazel or alder, poplars also form their flowers in catkin shapes. So they have a worm-like, drooping spike shape with a characteristic downy exterior that is reminiscent of cat fur.
The poplar catkins consist of several, inconspicuous individual flowers in which the pollen is located.
First flowering period in adolescence
Poplar trees bloom for the first time between the ages of 6 and 11. In relation to the expected total age of 100 to 300 years, this is about average.
What you should know about gender
Unlike most other catkin-flowering trees, the poplar has both male and female flowers on this inflorescence. Since all poplar species are dioecious, i.e. the individual individuals have separate sexes, male poplars do not necessarily differ from female poplars at first glance. However, if you know the appearance of the male and female catkins of the individual poplar species, you can differentiate here.
On the quaking aspen, for example, the male and female catkin flowers look quite different. While the males are thick and grey-brown, the females have a much more delicate appearance with a greenish color and reddish bracts. Another difference is that male aspens develop a significantly higher number of flowers.
In the black poplar, the male and female catkin flowers differ primarily in their droopier habit.
