PHOTO: David Yarrow 2001
Lou Sebesta, forester for the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation, stands beside the Balmville Cottonwood

The Eastern Cottonwood, also called Carolina Poplar or Southern Cottonwood, is a medium to large tree with a massive trunk, often forked into stout branches, and broad, open crown of spreading, slightly drooping branches. The common name refers to the abundant, fluffy, cottony seeds released to the winds in late spring.

Identification & Culture

One of the largest American cottonwoods, it is planted as a shade tree and for shelterbelts. Although short-lived, it is one of the fastest growing native trees; on favorable sites, it averages 5 feet a year in height, and up to 13 feet the first year.

Identification

Size: The Eastern Cottonwood is commonly 40 to 80 feet, often 100 feet tall, and 2-3 feet in diameter, often larger, up to 4 feet (maximum: 175 by 11 feet). The crown is somewhat pyramidal at first, then grows rounded, and, on old trees, may be very wide-spreading (80-100 feet wide)

Range: The Eastern Cottonwood is widespread throughout the eastern United States, from southern Alberta and Montana east to extreme southern Quebec and New Hampshire, and south to northern Florida and west to western Texas. It is rare or absent in most of New England and the Appalachians

Habitat: The Eastern Cottonwood prefers wet soils on bottomlands bordering streams and lakes, and in valleys, often in pure stands or with willows. It often pioneers on new sandbars and bare flood plains. The buds, leaves and catkins are eaten by grouse

Leaves are alternate, simple, 2-8 inches long, 3-5 inches wide, triangular, long-pointed, usually straight across the base, with coarse, rounded teeth. Leaves are smooth above and below, slightly thickened, shiny green, turning yellow in autumn

Leafstalks are long, slender, and laterally flattened, with 2-3 small, but obvious glands at the upper end

Flowers appear before the leaves in early spring as 2-3.5 inch, brownish, drooping catkins, with male and female on separate trees

Fruit is 3/8 inch long, elliptical, light brown capsules, borne alternately along the axis, like a string of beads (hence its popular name necklace poplar). Fruit matures in spring, and splits into 3-4 parts, with many cottony seeds, from which the tree takes its name

Bark is yellow-green and smooth, becoming lashy gray to darker brown, thick, rough and deeply furrowed

Twigs are yellowish-brown, stout, marked with grayish dots, usually hairless, sometimes four-angled, on vigorous shoots, with large resinous or sticky buds

Buds are 5/8-1 inch, brownish, glossy, terminal, quite gummy, with 6-7 scales, and are not fragrant when crushed

Wood is soft and not durable, white to brown, easily worked, and used for boxes and crates, furniture, plywood, woodenware, matches, and pulpwood. Plains Indians used the root wood for starting fire by friction, but as firewood, it burns quickly without leaving coals

Similar Species:

Culture

Soils:

Propagation: Like many willows and poplars, Eastern Cottonwoods easily propagated by planting a piece of branch in moist earth. If done in the spring, the sprout may grow 4 to 6 feet the first year.

Seedlings:

Saplings:

Special:

Problems:

Cultivars:

Related Species: Plains Cottonwood (var. occidentalis), a western variety, has slightly smaller leaves, often broader than long, and more coarsely toothed. Lombardy Poplar (Populus nigra var. occidentalis) has more columnar growth. Balsam Poplar (Populus balsamifera) is more northern, with a gummy end with fewer scales and fir-like fragrance. Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) has fine-toothed foliage and brown buds. Bigtooth Aspen (Populus grandidentata) has leaves with larger teeth, and hairy end buds. Tallowtree (Sapium sebiferum) has glands on non-flattened leafstalks, greenish twigs, milky sap, and leaves without teeth.

Champion Trees and Ancient Forests — www.championtrees.org — updated: 7/14/2002