''Populus balsamifera'', commonly called balsam poplar, bam, bamtree, eastern balsam-poplar, hackmatack, tacamahac poplar, tacamahaca, is a tree species in the balsam poplar species group in the poplar genus, ''

Populus ''Populus'' is a genus of 25–30 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar (), aspen, and cottonwood. The we ...

.'' The genus name ''Populus'' is from the Latin for poplar, and the specific epithet ''balsamifera'' from Latin for "balsam-bearing". ''Populus balsamifera'' is the northernmost North American

hardwood Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...

, growing transcontinentally on boreal and montane upland and

flood plain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...

sites, and attaining its best development on flood plains. It is a hardy, fast-growing

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

which is generally short lived, but some trees as old as 200 years have been found. The tree is known for its strong, sweet fragrance, which emanates from its sticky, resinous buds. The smell has been compared to that of the

balsam fir ''Abies balsamea'' or balsam fir is a North American fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada (Newfoundland west to central Alberta) and the northeastern United States (Minnesota east to Maine, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to ...

tree.

Taxonomy

The black cottonwood, '' Populus trichocarpa'', is sometimes considered a subspecies of ''P. balsamifera'' and may lend its common name to this species, although the black poplars and cottonwoods of ''Populus'' sect. ''Aigeiros'' are not closely related. The balm-of-Gilead (''Populus'' × ''jackii''), also known as ''P.'' × ''gileadensis'', is the hybrid between ''P. balsamifera'' and the

eastern cottonwood ''Populus deltoides'', the eastern cottonwood or necklace poplar, is a cottonwood poplar native to North America, growing throughout the eastern, central, and southwestern United States as well as the southern Canadian prairies, the southern ...

(''P. deltoides''), occurring occasionally where the two parental species' ranges overlap. This hybrid is also sometimes planted as a shade tree, and sometimes escapes from cultivation. The name ''Populus'' ''candicans'' has been variously used for either ''P. balsamifera'' or ''P.'' × ''jackii''; it is currently considered a synonym of ''P. balsamifera''.

Uses

The light, soft wood of ''Populus balsamifera'' is used for pulp and construction. The resinous sap (or the tree's balsam) comes from its buds, and is sometimes used as a hive disinfectant by bees. Branches containing the resinous buds are sometimes blown to the ground by spring windstorms, and herbalists from many cultures seek these out to make medicine from them. These sticky spring buds are a highly prized ingredient in medicinal salves and other herbal preparations in both Indigenous North American and European herbal traditions. Many kinds of animals use the twigs of ''Populus balsamifera'' for food. The leaves of the tree serve as food for

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sy ...

s of various

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order of insects that includes butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 families and 46 superfamilies, 10 percent of the total described speci ...

. See List of Lepidoptera that feed on poplars.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q149471 Butterfly food plants Flora of the Northern United States Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus balsamifera Trees of Alaska Trees of Alberta Trees of British Columbia Trees of Canada Trees of Ontario Trees of the Great Lakes region (North America) Trees of the North-Central United States Trees of the Northeastern United States Trees of the Northwestern United States Trees of the Southeastern United States Flora without expected TNC conservation status