Poplar Succession

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

A succession of poplar (Latin Bidens populifolia) - a rare herbaceous (sometimes semi-shrub) plant of the genus Chereda (lat. Bidens), which has chosen for its residence one of the 24 islands of the Hawaiian archipelago with the name "Oahu". The plant has simple leaves, the shape of which is similar to the shape of the leaves of the ubiquitous Poplar, and spectacular yellow inflorescences with marginal sun rays-petals. The leaves of the plant are used for medicinal purposes and for the preparation of a tonic drink, the taste of which is much subtler than the usual black tea. The poplar sequence, which has many natural enemies, is on the list of endangered plants on our planet.

What's in your name

The generic Latin name "Bidens" hides two Latin words: "Bi" = "two" and "dens" = "teeth", referring to the presence of serrated awns or collective bristles on the achenes of the plant.

The specific adjective “populifolia” (“poplar”) is also formed from two Latin words: “populinus”, which is equivalent to the word “Poplar”, and “folius”, which is equivalent to the word “deciduous”, and reflects the shape of the leaves of this species. Poplar.

Endemic of the island

In the wild, the poplar train has been seen today only on the island of Oahu, which is one of the 24 islands of the Hawaiian archipelago, occupying the 3rd place among them in terms of area. The island is of volcanic origin, with extinct volcanoes, which can still be activated, disrupting the peaceful life of the most populated island of the archipelago (the population is approaching "one million"), with the capital located on it, Honolulu.

The poplar sequence is represented on the island by herbaceous or semi-shrub varieties growing in humid forests on rocks and ridges open to all winds.

Oahu is famous not only for rare plants, but also for the famous US naval base, attacked by Japan during the Second World War. It is often used as a set for feature films, which are gaining great popularity with viewers around the world. Among them are such masterpieces as "Pearl Harbor", "Jurassic Park", TV serial "Lost".

Description

The poplar succession has a tenacious root system that allows the plant to live on mountain ranges and rocky slopes.

Stems of medium height are covered with large petiolate, whole poplar-like leaves.

Inflorescences of the Poplar leaf are typical baskets of plants of the Asteraceae family, consisting of a central disc with a dense flock of tubular hermaphrodite flowers and sterile marginal petals, similar to golden sun-yellow rays.

Usage

For a long time, the local population of the island used the leaves of the Poplar leaf for making tonic tea, as well as for medicinal purposes.

Modern chefs continue the tradition by offering tonic drinks made from about 6 subspecies of the Poplar plant. Each subspecies gives its own unique flavor, which is much finer than that of black commercial tea.

In the landscape design of residential or commercial areas, the Poplar-leaved series has not yet been noticed, although its sunny-yellow inflorescences against the background of green leaves could become an effective accent for other ornamental plants.

Growing conditions

The poplar succession loves full sun and moist soil with good drainage.

The plant has a large number of enemies trying to oust the Poplar train from the face of the planet. These are also more aggressive types of vegetation; wild pigs eating grass and plant roots; lack of an effective drainage system; insect pests (ubiquitous and omnivorous aphids, spider mites, snails and slugs …).