Leaves ovate, longer than broad, abruptly acuminate and often long-pointed at apex, subcordate or rarely truncate at the wide base, finely crenately serrate with glandular teeth, furnished on the upper surface at the insertion of the petiole with two glands, thick, glabrous, green and lustrous on the upper surface, paler below, 5′—7′ long and 4′—5′ wide, with stout midribs and conspicuous primary veins sometimes sparingly pilose below early in the season; petioles much compressed laterally, often more or less tinged with red, 3′—4′ in length. Flowers: aments glabrous, short-stalked, the staminate densely flowered, 1½′—2′ long, ½′—¾′ in diameter, the pistillate slender, sparsely flowered, 3′—3½′ in length; scales scarious, light brown, glabrous, dilated and irregularly divided at apex into filiform lobes; disk of the staminate flower broad, oblique, slightly thickened and revolute on the margins; stamens 60 or more, with short filaments and large dark red anthers; disk of the pistillate flower broad, slightly crenate, inclosing about ⅓′ of the ovoid obtusely pointed ovary, with 3 or 4 sessile dilated laciniately lobed stigmas. Fruit on aments 8′—12′ in length, ellipsoidal, pointed, thin-walled, 3 or 4-valved, ⅓′ long, the disk little enlarged; pedicels ⅙′—¼′ in length; seeds oblong-obovoid, rounded at apex, light brown, about 1/12′ long. A large tree with massive spreading branches and stout yellow-brown often angular branchlets. Winter-buds resinous, acute, ½′ long with light chestnut brown lustrous scales. Distribution. Shores of Lake Champlain (Shelburne Point, Chittenden County), Vermont; western New York; Island of the Delaware River above Easton, Northampton County, Pennsylvania; Baltimore County, and Bare Hills, Maryland; northern banks of the Potomac River opposite Plummer’s Island near Washington, D.C.; Artisia, Lowndes County, and Starkville, Oktibbeha County, Mississippi; rare and local. Populus balsamifera var. virginiana Sarg. Cottonwood. _Populus deltoidea_ Marsh. at least in part. _Populus nigra β virginiana_ Castiglioni. [Illustration: Fig. 131] Leaves deltoid to ovate-deltoid, acuminate with entire points, truncate, slightly cordate or occasionally abruptly cuneate at the entire base, crenately serrate above, with incurved glandular teeth, fragrant with a balsamic odor, glabrous, thick and firm, light bright green and lustrous, paler on the lower than on the upper surface, 3′—5′ long and broad, with a stout yellow midrib often tinged with red toward the base, raised and rounded on the upper side, and conspicuous primary veins; petioles slender, pilose at first, soon glabrous, compressed laterally, yellow often more or less tinged with red, 2½′—3½′ long. Flowers and Fruit: as on the type.