Poplar
A tall narrow column of leaves on a short trunk, seen from far across the open steppe.
About 12 m tall out in the open.
Where it grows
Section titled “Where it grows”| Land | How many of the trees |
|---|---|
| Steppe | A lone tree now and then |
| By water on the steppe | Two in five of the waterside trees |
Trees of a kind keep together in stands about 60 m across.
Through the year
Section titled “Through the year”It leafs out in spring, its bare twigs budding green first. In autumn its leaves turn butter-yellow to gold, each tree in its own time, then fall pixel by pixel until the crown is bare twigs. It stands bare through the winter.
In play
Section titled “In play”Its trunk stops men and horses, who go round it. Wildfire leaves it black and bare, and burnt or felled ground grows back over about four years.