INDIANOLA — About a block from the Indianola General Store a national champion stands tall.

It didn’t win an event at the Olympics or even compete for that matter, but it did grow from a tiny sapling into one of the largest White Poplars in the country.

While the gigantic Populus alba has been around for the past century, local tree expert Jim Trainer was the first to recognize its size was truly notable among its peers. He found it by accident a few weeks ago as he was en route to look at another tree and drove past the prize on Shore Drive. Seeing it, he quickly backtracked.

“I was driving by and saw it, and I had to stop,” he said. “I knew it was going to be one of the largest trees of its kind in the state, if not the country.”

He measured its width and height and discovered he was correct. The White Poplar stands at over 100 feet high and has a circumference of 18 feet.

“The leaves are where the tree’s name comes from,” Trainer said, turning over one of the large leaves that had floated down. “They have a white, milky underside.”

“I love that tree,” said Indianola resident Heidi Herendeen, adding that in the 13 years she’s lived in Indianola, the tree has been a welcome presence in the community. “The leaves from it are amazing and beautiful.”

The poplar is located on an historic homestead that was established about 100 years ago, Trainer said, adding it was planted by the Kanyer family when the first house was built. Indianola resident Kevin Kanyer still owns the property, and was thrilled that it is home to a national champion.

“His great-grandmother planted the tree,” Trainer said. “Homesteads are amazing places to find trees like this because the settlers brought new species with them and planted them. The homesteads can have a huge varieties of trees.”

The giant Populus alba is no exception and hails from Spain and Morocco.

In order to ensure the “Indianola resident” becomes a state champion, Trainer will submit its vital stats to the University of Washington’s forestry department, where it will be entered into a database of the state’s trees. To register as a national champion, he will send the information to American Forest, an organization that keeps track of all the national champs and publishes them in a magazine.

Kitsap County alone has 25 state champions and three national champions in various forests and homestead sites, Trainer said.

“This tree is special,” Herendeen said. Even though it’s now a national champion, she said, it has been a special part of Indianola even before it was listed as such. “It just has a different sound that’s beautiful.”