Alberta Native Plant Council

Feature Plant

The sweet smell of spring...

Populus balsamifera

A common tree that occurs throughout Alberta, the smell of balsam poplar is a sure sign of spring. Shortly after flowering, the leaves emerge coated with a sticky sweet-smelling resin that also coats the scales of the leaf buds (and sticks to cars parked below). In riverine forests, where the trees are large and numerous that wonderful smell pervades the atmosphere almost as strongly as the smell of wolf willow that will soon follow. You might have to risk getting a sticky nose to fully appreciate it, if there's only one tree. My advice: park your car somewhere else and go for a walk in the woods!

Another name for the tree is Balm of Gilead, a name that implies calming medicinal properties. In many places, the local name is “bamagila” or just “bam”, both contractions of Balm of Gilead. The resin, and also the inner bark in spring, is traditionally used by indiginous people for a variety of purposes (from sore skin, sore throat, and lung ailments to diabetes) as a lotion dissolved in oil, as a tea, or in tincture. While citing some of these uses, Kershaw warns that some sources say it's mildly poisonous. Other books on edible wild plants, apart from herbalist publications, do not mention it.

Photo and text by Jim Posey

Kershaw, Linda, “Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rockies”, Lone Pine Publishing, 2000

Links

Link Policy

The Alberta Native Plant Council (ANPC) is a non-profit organization and as such will not link to commercial sites of any kind. Exceptions may be made, but must be approved by the entire ANPC Executive.

Western Canada violet

Viola canadensis

Photo - Lorna Allen

We welcome all links to our site, but do suggest that they point to our main page at: http://www.anpc.ab.ca. This page will never be removed or changed. If you require a logo image, please contact us.

Conservation Data Centres

Alberta Conservation Information Management System
NatureServe - A network connecting science with conservation.
British Columbia Conservation Data Centre
Montana Natural Heritage Program
Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre

Rare and Endangered Plant Listings

Native Plant Organizations

Botanical Links

Plant Watch Canada
Plant Watch Alberta
Wildflowers and Scenery of the Canadian Rockies
Alberta Agriculture - Draft Native Plant Revegetation Guidelines for Alberta
Botanical Electronic News: Archives and subscribe by emailing: aceska@victoria.tc.ca
Devonian Botanic Garden
Rangeland Ecosystems and Plants
Scott's Botanical Links

Organization Links

Recipient of a 2010 Emerald Award!
The ANPC was recognized for its efforts in promoting knowledge of Alberta's native plants; conserving Alberta's native plant species and their habitats; and preserving plant species and habitat for the enjoyment of present and future generations.