balsam poplar

American  

noun

1. a North American tree, Populus balsamifera, having sticky, resinous buds and shiny ovate leaves.

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balsam poplar British  

noun

1. a poplar tree, Populus balsamifera , of NE North America, having resinous buds and broad heart-shaped leaves See also tacamahac

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Etymology

Origin of balsam poplar

An Americanism dating back to 1780–90

Example Sentences

A few trees of the balsam poplar, Populus tacamahaca Mill., are found in Lake County near the shores of Lake Michigan.

From Forest Trees of Illinois How to Know Them by Fuller George D.

The long day's march had seen the scattering groves dwindle and fail—first the bankerian pine, followed in order by the balsam poplar and the aspen.

From True Tales of Arctic Heroism in the New World by Greely, Adolphus W.

The balsam poplar has a large bud thickly covered with a sticky, pungent, gelatinous substance.

From Studies of Trees by Levison, Jacob Joshua

The balsam poplar is the balm of Gilead of the early settlers, the Tacamahac of the Northern Indians.

From Trees Worth Knowing by Rogers, Julia Ellen

She was very sensitive to his disapproval, and suffered acutely when he showed how he despised a person who forgot the difference between a sycamore and a balsam poplar.

From The Open Question a tale of two temperaments by Robins, Elizabeth