Poplar is one of the most common utility hardwoods in the United States, being used for pallets, crates, upholstered  furniture frames, paper, and plywood. Though it is commonly referred to simply as “Poplar,” it is technically not in the Populus genus itself, (the genus also includes many species of Cottonwood and Aspen), but is instead in the Liriodendron genus, which is Latin for “lily tree.”