A critical review of reports from European localities reveals that the herein newly described Populus erratica Sachse, nom. nov. was previously treated under a variety of names. Due to its stratigraphical range from the late Oligocene to early Miocene, it might be a useful tool for age determinations in the terrestrial record. So far it is known only from warm-temperate floodplain forests in Central Europe – possibly even restricted to the alpine area. The taxonomic relationships to some morphologically similar species from other localities cannot be entirely clarified here.