Information about poplar trees

Deciduous trees, 5 to 10 meters high. The bark is gray-white, the branches are round and rod-shaped, brown or gray-brown, and pubescent when young. Single leaves are alternate; oval, 4 to 5 cm long, with a pointed apex and a heart-shaped base. There are two obvious glands with slightly toothed edges. The upper surface is dark green and hairless, and the lower surface is light green and has hair when young. Gray fine hair.

Main distribution: Yunnan, China

Functions: landscape, papermaking, traditional Chinese medicine, western medicine, etc.

Famous applications:

200 BC The sap (containing salicylic acid) extracted from the poplar tree by Hippacrates can relieve pain and fever.

In 1876, Felix Hoffman studied how to remove the terrible taste of salicylic acid at the Bayer Pharmaceuticals in Germany. In 1897, it was finally made into acetylysalicylic acid, which is the largest product consumed every year today. of aspirin.

At present, salicylic acid has become a holy beauty product for skin care, whitening, and wrinkle removal.

Morphological characteristics:

Tree or shrub. Single leaves are alternate and have stipules. Flowers are unisexual and dioecious, in catkins. Each flower has one bract, no perianth, and a disc or glands. 2 stamens, 1 pistil, ovary 1 cell superior. Capsule, 2-4-lobed, with many small seeds and long hairs at the base.