Fire generally kills eastern cottonwood. deltoides Bartr. Light gray-brown and smooth with shallow grooves on young trees. are large, quick-growing trees valued for their vibrant autumn foliage. The leaves are large and deltoid (triangular) in shape with a more or less flattened base and long petiole. Beavers are known to use cottonwood poles for construction of their dams. Some improved clones in some tree plantations have yielded trees that grew up to 10 feet per year. Look for snowstorms of this cotton in early June. Size 75 to 100' Bloom Time March to April. There has also been interest in growing it for inclusion in cattle feed, since it is a good source of cellulose relatively free of undesirable components, such as tannins. Often the description can vary because of the maturity of the leaf. The bark is silvery-white, smooth, or lightly fissured when young, becoming darker gray and deeply fissured on older trees. Trees of this size are often found on moist sites. Leaves are green in summer, turning yellow or brown in fall. Eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) Family: Salicaceae . Leaf margins can be … Eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) is the fastest growing and largest tree found in Iowa. It generally has a thin, spreading crown and a straight bole. He is a member of the Society of American Foresters. Click on second leaf photo for enlargement to see flattened stem and glands at base of leaf. It grows best on moist well-drained sands or silts near streams, often in pure stands. native to eastern North America; hardy to zone 2; Habit and Form . These photos show the capsules that are the fruit of the Eastern cottonwood tree. Common Name - Eastern Cottonwood. occidentalis, plains cottonwood, where the ranges overlap. Leaf Type Simple. Eastern Cottonwood Populus deltoides Willow family (Salicaceae) Description: This deciduous tree is 60-120' tall at maturity. Specific Epithet deltoides. The lightweight, rather soft wood is used primarily for core stock in manufacturing furniture and for pulpwood. Leaf Margin Serrated. Its growth may exceed 10 feet in height its first year, about 5 feet in height in each succeeding year, and about 1 inch in diameter per year. USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) -. Eastern cottonwood is also sometimes called southern cottonwood, Carolina poplar, eastern poplar, necklace poplar, and álamo. Twig: Stout, somewhat angled and yellowish; buds are 3/4 inch long, covered with several brown, resinous scales. The eastern cottonwood is a member of the willow family (Salicaceae). Fast-growing yet relatively short-lived, cottonwoods are easily distinguished by their triangular- (or deltoid-) shaped leaves that easily flutter in the wind. Due to its large size, weak wood, and penetrating roots, it is best used on large properties away from residential areas. Cultural Requirements. INTRODUCTION A leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized ... American planetree Scientific name: Plantanus occidentalis Leaf shape: Palmate shape FIGURE 6 Tip Vein Margin Midrib Petiole Tip Margin Petiole Midrib Vein. Leaves are simple, alternate, and deciduous. It sometimes reaches a height of 100 to 130 feet and a diameter of 5 to 6 feet. Texture: glabrous. Genus Populus. The petiole is flattened and glands are present at the top of the petiole. Populus angustifolia (narrowleaf cottonwood), in the Great Basin; Populus heterophylla (swamp cottonwood), in the eastern United States; Populus trichocarpa (black cottonwood), in the Pacific Northwest of North America Expand. Leaf Margin. Leaves are alternate, simple, 3–7 inches long, broadly triangular, abruptly pointed, with coarse teeth with tiny hairs, small glands at base of leaf blade; upper surface green, shiny; lower surface paler, smooth; leaf stalk slender, flattened. All tree leaves exhibit margins (leaf blade edges) that are either serrated or smooth. Leaf Width - 3 to 5 inches. Male and female flowers develop on separate trees. The mature eastern cottonwood grows to a height of 65-130 ft. (20-40 m). Eastern cottonwood is a medium-sized tree that reaches heights of 50’to 100’ in height. The western boundary is not well defined because eastern cottonwood intergrades with var. Use "esc" to exit the lightbox. Both male and female flowers are pendulous catkins. Form: This is a medium-sized tree reaching 70-100 ft. in height and 2.5- 4 ft dbh. Nonetheless, it is still utilized in the making of containers, furniture parts, and high-grade pulp. Celtis conferta subsp. The 2 to 5 inch long, simple, triangle-shaped, deciduous leaves have a toothed margin, and an elongated tip. Find the perfect eastern cottonwood stock photo. × The poplar petiole gall aphid (Pemphigus populitransversus) lays its eggs on cottonwood leaves, producing characteristic marble-sized galls where the petiole meets the blade of the leaf. The petiole is flattened and glands are present at the top of the petiole. The cottonwood is a large, relatively short-lived tree with a wide, spreading crown and a large straight trunk. Shape: deltoid with truncate base. Deep planting permits reforesting of nonproductive fields with sandy soils having available moisture beneath a dry surface layer. Eastern Cottonwood; Eastern Poplar; Poplar; Phonetic Spelling POP-yoo-lus del-TOY-deez Description. Also, the edge (margin) of the latter is deeply notched (crenelated), while that of the angustifolia is less so, and the balsamifera's is smooth. It is shade-intolerant and found on rich, moist sites often near rivers and streams. The yellowish twigs are stout and contain a bitter aspirin taste. There has been considerable interest in cottonwood for energy biomass, because of its high yield potential and coppicing ability. It is not uncommon for young trees to grow in excess of 6 feet in height each year. Margin: crenate-serrate. Steve Nix is a natural resources consultant and a former forest resources analyst for the state of Alabama. Eastern cottonwood is an exceedingly rapid-growing, moisture-loving species that is found locally in moist places and along streams and lakes throughout the state except at the higher elevations. Eastern cottonwood grows along streams and on bottomlands from southern Quebec westward into North Dakota and southwestern Manitoba, south to central Texas, and east to northwestern Florida and Georgia. The largest specimen in Iowa is over 11 feet in diameter, 80 feet tall and more than 85 feet in width. 1 or 2 glands at the base of the leaf blade; Neoformed leaves broadly ovate, hairy when unfolding ; Base more rounded than eastern cottonwood; Length. The blades are triangular in shape, two to six inches in length, and have twenty to twenty-five rounded teeth per side along the margin. Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) Leaf Margins: Crenate. One last identification feature is to follow the cotton in early summer. McSush/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 3.0. This tree species occurs from Alberta east to Quebec and south to Florida, Texas, Arizona, and northern Mexico. Underside is smooth and a pale green. We have looked at ways of identifying leaves by looking at the way they are arranged on the stem and their overall shape. It develops a single stout trunk up to 4-6' across and forms an ovoid crown in open situations. Image by Wikimedia Commons. The Eastern Cottonwood is both a fast growing and a short-lived tree. 5–10 cm; Tip longer than eastern cottonwood; Colour. amblyphylla; Hibiscus tiliaceus, a flowering shrub or tree in the mallow family; In the genus Populus, a number of difficult-to-distinguish trees: . Leaf Color - Lustrous, bright-green during summer, golden-yellow in late fall. Altitude is a primary determiner of the western boundary. Use left and right arrows to navigate. a deciduous tree; wide spreading; pyramidal in youth; open, oval, irregular crown; 80' to 100' tall; 40' to 60' wide; coarse texture; fast growth rate; Summer Foliage. Eastern Cottonwood Leaf - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University. Eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides), one of the largest eastern hardwoods, is short-lived but the fastest-growing commercial forest species in North America. Though necklace poplar (also known as eastern cottonwood) is a short-lived tree, already old at age 75, it can grow to 100 feet (30m) or more in height in its native streamside habitats. Cookies. Triangular, tip taper-pointed; Often pendulous; Usually 3–5 warty glands at the base of the leaf blade; Neoformed leaves broadly ovate, hairy when unfolding; Length. Cottonwood buds are also somewhat distinctive, in winter and early spring they are large, long, and pointed. The leaf petiole is 3 to 4 inches long and flatted. 5–10 cm; Colour. The petiole is flattened and glands are present at the top of the petiole. Leaf buds are large, 1-inch long, reddish green and pointed. Photo credit: Larry Korhnak, University of Florida, UF School of Forest Resources & Conservation. The Fremont Cottonwood, also known as the Western Cottonwood or the Rio Grande Cottonwood, Populus fremontii, occurs in California east to Utah and Arizona and south into northwest Mexico. Leaf Length - 3 to 5 inches. The capsules have short stalks and grow on long catkins. Upper surface bright shiny green; Lower surface slightly paler ; Petiole yellowish-green; Margin. It falls somewhere between crenate to serrate, and is even considered to be dentate in some texts. Lump Growth on a Cottonwood Tree. 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