Inventory of cultivated and spontaneously growing poplar trees in cities of the Moscow Region

Abstract

Species of the genus Populus L. have been widely used in urban landscaping. This is due to the fact that poplar trees possess a number of beneficial biological properties, such as fast growth, ease of vegetative propagation, high resistance to dust, smoke, and gases, etc. In the Soviet Union and Tsarist Russia, numerous poplar cultivars promising for urban landscaping were developed. However, at present, much information about poplar taxa has been lost, and their breeding and use in urban landscaping have declined. The aim of the study was to identify the proportion of cultivated poplar trees in cities of the Moscow Region to revive breeding work with poplar trees and ensure their appropriate use in landscaping. The study was carried out in 2024–2025 using the route method in Moscow and seven cities of the Moscow Region. A total of 1,406 adult trees in Moscow and 1,738 in cities of the Moscow Region were recorded. These trees belong to 21 taxa. P. × sibirica, P. × petrovskoe, and P. tremula were found in Moscow and all the seven studied cities of the Moscow Region, with P. × sibirica present in large numbers everywhere (56 % in Moscow, an average of 42 % in cities of the Moscow Region). P. × petrovskoe is a widespread species in Mozhaisk (42 %), Shatura (34 %), Dmitrov (24 %), and Moscow (19 %). P. tremula is not very common in street and yard landscaping in any of cities (1–6 %). The remaining taxa are generally rare or abundant in only 1–2 cities: P. simonii is abundant in Kolomna (37 %); P. × wobstii is abundant in Dmitrov (15 %), etc. It was established that in the Moscow Region, interspecific hybrids predominate over “pure” species, complex hybrids predominate over simple ones, and spontaneous hybrids predominate over those created by breeders. Each city has its own specifics, depending on the timing of landscaping activities, the focus on a particular nursery, and the attractiveness of the city. For urban landscaping, cultivars represented by male clones only are primarily recommended.