Poplar

The name of poplar comes from the white-silvered color of the inner faces of its leaves, that thanks to a special tegument which covers them are capable of retaining the atmospheric dust, helping that way to the air cleaning of our cities; work that nowadays results inestimable. The poplar is a typical tree of the forests of flooded plains and of the valleys and rivers that surround them. In the cities it is often planted in parks, avenues and gardens. When the wind blows, it is a pleasure to admire its silvered leaves swinging in the air like chromatic triads of an ethereal symphony.

In the Greek mythology the poplar constitute a highlight. It was devoted to the God Hades, sovereign of the world of the dead. The tree budded to existence because of the love of Hades to Leuca, daughter of the god of seas and oceans. When she died, Hades made the white poplar appear in the Elysian Fields, where the soul of the dead dwelled.

On the remote and glorious days of the polytheistic Greece, probably due to this myths, the poplar was cultivated a lot in cemeteries and funerary monuments.

It is also famous the legend of the Heliades, daughters of the god Helios, who were petrified when knowing the death of their dear brother Phaethon (inflicted by the powerful Zeus) and they were transformed into poplars.

The white poplar was also present in ceremonies and offerings in honor of Dionysius, god of the wine and nature. It was a custom that to those who were consecrated to this cult were covered with poplar leaves. In the Greek myths and legends this tree is mentioned both on festive occasions related to the power of life and in stories and mournful events where death appear.

In the first games in Olympia it was a custom that winners were crowned with poplar branches, practice that some authors attribute to the legend of Hercules (one of the dearest heroes of the Greek) who came from hell with a crown of poplar branches, tree for which he felt a special predilection.