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Willesley - Picture Gallery

The best example of the rare native Black Poplar. Willesley has the largest group of them(22 in "11 acre" wood) in Leicestershire. Cuttings have been taken in 2002 and planted nearby to help them survive. Three have fallen due to gales but will survive for a time as their roots are still in the soil. They can be confused with the hybrid "serotina" poplars which are crossed with the American Cottonwood; a huge example of this hybrid can be seen in the woodland on the edge of Oakthorpe Colliery picnic site. To distinguish them look at the trunk; the real Black Poplar has "burrs" and the bark is criss-crossed with "x's" and some boughs droop down to the ground; they often lean acutely whereas the hybrid poplar is straight and has deep vertical fissures running up the trunk.

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