Poplar (Populus), fam. Salicaceae.
   In Kyiv, the Black Poplar predominates, and only sometimes there grows White Poplar – one of the most common city trees of the South-East Ukraine (three last photos). It flowers in April, and gives fruit in the end of May. For some reason in Kyiv, unlike more "civilized" places, the people who planted poplars have not thought enough about the gender of the trees, so now a lot of them are female. Strong pruning helps for several years to combat excess fruiting, but it gives rather ugly look to the trees. To be true, the poplar fluff, like pure cotton, is not an allergen; however, it mechanically irritates the mucosa, and brings dust on them, which enhances the problems people already have.
   In autumn, the poplar leaves fall down one among the first. The resinous leaves, creating "tincture" in numerous waterholes, contribute to inimitable gamma of the autumn smells.
   The poplar buds contain a lot of essential oils, tannins, dyes and tarry substances, and vitamin C. They have antiinflammatory, analgetic, wound-healing, antiulcer, astringent, sedative, antipyretic, sudorific, antipruritic, antibacterial and antiviral effects. The same properties pass into propolis, which is collected by the bees in spring mostly from the poplar buds.

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