Black Poplars
Until the tree was severely damaged in a violent storm in 1998 Sunderland Point was home to a rare (female) Black Poplar Populus nigra ssp. betulifolia, locally known as a cotton-tree because of the fleecy nature of its seeds. This tree is mentioned in Richard Mabey’s Flora Britannica. It is shown here in a 1908 painting by William Page Atkinson Wells ( A Lancashire Village which forms the cover of a local history book).
Nearby in the long garden of Dolphin House is another (male) Black Poplar but this is probably a hybrid. The owner of the house Peter Gilchrist reports that his great uncle probably planted this tree sometime shortly after 1913 when the house was built and the garden laid out.
Peter also reports that there are two bushy growths from the roots of the native female Black Poplar and that a cutting from it is in the grounds of St Helen's Primary School, Overton. Cuttings have previously been taken by Peter Jepson and Jennifer Newton for possible regeneration.
Another rare native female Black Poplar can be found in Freeman’s Wood in Lancaster across the Lune from Snatchems.
The species is rare because it has difficulty in regenerating naturally unless male and female trees are in close proximity, and now that so much of the wetland of Britain has been drained. The species is much commoner in the south of the country. It is amongst our oldest native species spanning some 10,000 years. The other native poplar is Aspen. Fortunately as part of a Lancaster Flood Alleviation scheme, which contains an area of Environmental Enhancement including Freeman's Wood, cuttings from this tree have been used to reintroduce the species to the site. This enhancement area will be managed by Lancashire Wildlife Trust.
Full details of the whole Environment Agency Flood Alleviation scheme can be downloaded here.
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