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Desert poplar foliage. Photo: Mark Marathon / CC BY-SA 3.0
Desert poplar foliage. Photo: Mark Marathon / CC BY-SA 3.0

The desert poplar is a tall, fast-growing, short-lived tree that sometimes sets so much seed that it bends over with the weight.

You will most likely see the desert poplar beside roads in the park, but it also grows in sand and on mulga flats and rocky hillsides.

Culture

The roots of the desert poplar are a great place to find witchetty grubs and its dense leaves make a cooling cover for babies in hot weather.

Scientific name

Codonocarpus cotinifolius

Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara name

kantuṟangu