Balsam Poplar

Populus balsamifera

Salicaceae · broadleaf · introduced

Quick Facts

Height

130 ft

Spread

26 ft

Growth Rate

Fast

Light

Full Sun

Soil

Wet Tolerant

Water

High

Hardiness

Zone Zones 1a–8b

Bloom Time

Apr 1-Apr 30

Origin

North America

Phenological Calendar

Stage	Typical Window	What to Look For
Bud break BBCH 07	Feb 15-Mar 15	Buds swelling and beginning to open; first green tissue visible
Leaf emergence BBCH 11	Mar 1-Apr 1	First leaves fully unfurled on new growth
Bloom start BBCH 61	Apr 1-Apr 30	First open flowers visible; flowers yellow
Bloom end / petal fall BBCH 69	Apr 15-May 15	Last petals falling; flower structures fading
Fruit/seed development BBCH 71	Mar 15-May 31	Fruit or seed structures forming; fruit color: white
Leaf drop BBCH 93	Oct 15-Nov 30	Leaves yellowing and dropping; no significant fall color display
Dormancy BBCH 97	Nov 15-Feb 28	Leafless; no active growth; dormant buds set

Diseases (18)

Marssonina spp. Marssonina Leaf Spot

Taphrina spp. Leaf Blister

Leaf and Shoot Blight

Cytospora spp. (synonyms: Leucostoma, Valsa) Canker

Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae Bacterial Blight

Armillaria ostoyae Armillaria Root Rot

Aspen Trunk Rot

Black Canker (Target Canker)

Cryptosphaeria Canker (Snake Canker)

Cytospora canker Cytospora Canker

Sooty-bark Canker

Rhizobium radiobacter (formerly Agrobacterium tumefaciens) Crown Gall

abiotic (drought, heat stress) or bacterial (Xylella fast... Leaf Scorch

Podosphaera aphanis var. aphanis Powdery Mildew

Septoria Leaf Spot and Canker

White Mottled Rot

Pests (14)

Malacosoma spp. Tent caterpillar

Poplar Petiole Gall Aphids

Lepidosaphes ulmi Oystershell scale

Aspen leaf blotch miner

Poplar twiggall fly

Cinara occidentalis, Cinara abietis Aphid

Acanthococcus azaleae Azalea bark scale

Rose leafhopper

Leaf blotchminer

Lettuce root aphid