Russian Poplar Tree

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court recently stayed the administration’s order to cut down female Russian poplar trees over the mistaken belief that it could cause COVID-19.

About the Tree

Poplar trees, also known as cottonwood trees, are deciduous flowering trees found in the Northern Hemisphere. The Russian poplar tree (Populus detoides) is a native of North America (not Russia). These trees are dioecious- i.e. they have separate male and female trees.

Russian Poplars in India

Poplar trees are both exotic and indigenous in India. The exotic species are cultivated on a large scale in Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, J&K and Bihar. The Russian poplar was introduced in 1982 under a social forestry project funded by the World Bank.

Role in Allergic Reaction

The allergic pollen is produced by male trees and the powdery seed material is produced by the female trees. The problem initially emerged in 1990s and the allergic material is locally called ‘russii’. There are no studies tying the pollens or the seed materials to COVID-19 spread. Also, many trees are known to produce allergic pollens. Eg:  birch, alnus, aspen, ash, fagus, juglans, oak, olive, poplar, salix, pines, junipers, cupressus, mesquite, gulmohar, sal, castor bean, etc.