Populus alba Linnaeus var. canescens Aiton, Hort. Kew. 3: 405. 1789.

Trees to 20 m tall, suckering freely; bark grayish or bluish gray, smooth, rough at base of trunk; crown spreading. Branchlets terete, often glabrous; short branchlets brownish, tomentose. Buds ovoid, brown tomentose. Leaves of short branchlets with petiole slightly compressed, nearly as long as blade, glabrous; leaf blade ovate-orbicular, ovate-elliptic, or rhombic- to ovate-orbicular, 4-8 × 3.5-6 cm, both surfaces glabrous or sometimes thinly tomentose abaxially, base broadly cuneate or rounded, margin with obtusely notched teeth, apex obtuse. Leaves of sprouts and long shoots with petiole gray tomentose; leaf blade broadly elliptic, abaxially gray tomentose, adaxially green, glabrous or sparsely tomentose, irregularly dentate. Male catkin 5-8 cm. Male flower: stamens 8-10. Female catkin 5-10 cm. Female flower: ovary glabrous; stipe short. Capsule long ovoid, 3-4 mm, 2-valved. Fl. Apr, fr. May.

Regarded by many authors as a hybrid between Populus alba and P. tremula.

Xinjiang [W Asia, Europe]