Poplar box

The bark is persistent on trunk and larger branches, grey with whitish patches, fibrous-flaky ('box'), smooth above, glossy, grey, shedding in short ribbons. Juvenile leaves petiolate, opposite for a few pairs then alternate, disjunct, ovate to orbiculate, dull grey-green. Adult leaves petiolate, alternate, disjunct, broad-lanceolate, elliptic, ovate or rhomboidal, 5–11 cm long, 2–7 cm wide, green, glossy, concolorous, densely reticular. Conflorescence compound; umbellasters 7–11-flowered; peduncle terete, 5–11 mm long; pedicels terete, 1–3 mm long. Buds clavate to ovoid, 3–5 mm long, 2–3 mm diam., scar present; calyptra hemispherical to conical, shorter than and as wide as hypanthium. All stamens fertile. Anthers adnate, basifixed, oblong or globoid, opening by broad lateral pores; flowers white; flowering period February–March. Fruit shortly pedicellate, hemispherical or conical, 2–4 mm long, 2–5 mm diam.; disc depressed; valves usually four and enclosed or rim-level.