Culture Arena
China · Nature & Wildlife · Hard
Which desert poplar species (Populus euphratica), known as the '' or 'diversiform-leaved poplar', forms golden autumn forests along the Tarim River in Xinjiang and can tolerate extreme drought by shedding branches during water stress?
Answer: Euphrates poplar — Populus euphratica (huyang) is the signature tree of the Taklamakan desert oases. Its leaves vary in shape on the same tree—narrow when young, broader when mature—and individual trees can live over a thousand years, with dead trunks bleaching white and standing for centuries.
- A Saxaul
- B Tamarisk
- C Euphrates poplar ✓
- D Russian olive
Populus euphratica (huyang) is the signature tree of the Taklamakan desert oases. Its leaves vary in shape on the same tree—narrow when young, broader when mature—and individual trees can live over a thousand years, with dead trunks bleaching white and standing for centuries.