''Populus ilicifolia'', the Tana River poplar, is a species of poplar in the family

Salicaceae The Salicaceae are the willow family of flowering plants. The traditional family (Salicaceae ''sensu stricto'') includes the willows, poplars. Genetic studies summarized by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) have greatly expanded the circumsc ...

. It is found in

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

and

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

from 1°N to 3°S latitude, 37°E to 41°E latitude, at altitudes of 10–1,200 m; it is the southernmost member of its genus in the world. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

.Global Plan of Action for the Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
Genetic Diversity and regeneration Studies of Populus ilicifolia
It requires a riverine climate. It is an

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

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, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

growing to 30 m tall with a trunk up to 1.5 m diameter. It is used locally as an avenue tree, and its timber is used for making beehives, mortars, dugout canoes and fences.

References

ilicifolia Flora of Kenya Flora of Tanzania Trees of Africa Tana River (Kenya) Vulnerable flora of Africa Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by Adolf Engler {{Salicaceae-stub