Editing Populus alba (section)

== Cultivation and uses ==
[[File:PopulusAblaPyramidalis.jpg|right|thumb|''Populus alba'' Pyramidalis]]
[[File:Poplar-lined road, Khotan.jpg|thumb|Poplar-lined road between [[Yarkand]] and [[Kargilik Town|Kargilik]]]]
[[File:Populus alba_coupe_MHNT.jpg|thumb|''Populus alba'' - wood]]

The wood is soft but close-grained and easy to carve, shrinking very little during seasoning. It has been used for sculpture from Europe to China and the US.<ref>Rösch, Petra, [https://books.google.com/books?id=hFcxBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA179 ''Chinese Wood Sculptures of the 11th to 13th centuries: Images of Water-moon Guanyin in Northern Chinese Temples and Western Collections''], pp. 179-180, 2007, Columbia University Press, {{ISBN|3-8382-5662-X}}, 9783838256627; [https://books.google.com/books?id=QvQT8vc4oikC&pg=PA74]</ref>  The ''[[Penitent Magdalene (Donatello)|Penitent Magdalene]]'' by [[Donatello]] is one 15th-century example.

It was the most commonly used wood for [[panel painting]]s in Italy throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance, until mostly replaced as a matrix by [[canvas]] from 1500 onwards.  Most earlier [[Italian Renaissance painting]]s are painted on poplar panels, the ''[[Mona Lisa]]'' being but one example.

White poplar requires abundant light and ample moisture, and stands up well to flood water and slightly acidic soils. Its green-and-white leaves make it an effective [[ornamental tree]], but the root suckers may cause problems in some situations. It is very attractive as an open-grown tree in water meadows, and because of its extensive root system and tolerance of salt, is also planted to strengthen coastal [[sand dune]]s.<ref name=vedel>Vedel, H., & Lange, J. (1960). ''Trees and Bushes in Wood and Hedgerow''. Metheun & Co. Ltd., London.</ref>

A yellow dye is produced from the bark of the white poplar.<ref>{{cite book |author-last=Polunin |first=O. |author-link=Oleg Polunin |title=Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|date=1969 |language=en|isbn=0192176218 }}, s.v. Populus alba</ref>

The majority of white poplars in cultivation in northern Europe are female trees.<ref name=fnwe />

===Americas===
White poplar was first introduced to North America in 1748 and has a long history in cultivation. It is now found in 43 states throughout the contiguous U.S.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/poal1.htm |title=PCA Alien Plant Working Group – White Poplar (Populus alba) |publisher=Nps.gov |date=2009-07-07 |access-date=2011-07-16 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110629071934/http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/poal1.htm |archive-date=2011-06-29 }}</ref> It has come to be considered weedy or [[Invasive species|invasive]]; it has been banned in Connecticut and is the most common introduced tree species on [[Cape Breton Island]].<ref name=Keeler>Keeler, H. L. (1900). ''Our Native Trees and How to Identify Them'' pp. 428–432. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=POAL7 |title=PLANTS Profile for Populus alba (white poplar) &#124; USDA PLANTS |publisher=Plants.usda.gov |date=1999-10-19 |access-date=2011-07-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101015145630/http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=POAL7|archive-date=2010-10-15 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.invasive.org/browse/subject.cfm?sub=3066 |title=white poplar, Populus alba (Salicales: Salicaceae) |publisher=Invasive.org |date=2010-05-04 |access-date=2011-07-16}}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20091025120827/http://www.nps.gov/plants/ALIEN/map/poal1.htm US invasive state location map]</ref>

In US intensive forest management, it is being replaced by various [[Populus sect. Aigeiros|''Populus'' sect. ''Aigeiros'']] [[Hybrid (biology)|hybrids]]. The wood is soft, and used for cellulose and to make cheap boxes.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}

It also grows in the temperate zones of South America. Mainly in Chile, Argentina and Uruguay{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}  A conical [[cultivar]] from [[Turkestan]], ''Populus alba'' 'Pyramidalis' (Bolle's poplar; syn. ''P. bolleana'') is sometimes planted in parks.<ref name=rushforth />