The leaves of Populus alba are simple and alternate. They are most often lobed as shown in the photo above, but they can also be unlobed. It is easily identified as a Poplar by the greenish-white bark of young branches, often with a waxy white covering. It is the only Populus species for which the undersurface of the leaves is covered by a dense wooly coating of bright white hairs. As is true of most Populus species, when the trees reach a large size the older bark splits repeatedly and becomes dark gray or even blackish.

Populus alba is a native to Europe and has been widely planted in the eastern United States. In Wisconsin it sometimes escapes near plantings, mostly on highly disturbed sites.