Cottonwood

Cottonwood is a large, fast-growing deciduous tree in the willow family, native to North America and typically found along rivers, streams and floodplains. The eastern cottonwood is one of the largest hardwood trees in North America.

Its name comes from the masses of fluffy, cotton-like fibers that carry its tiny seeds on the wind in early summer, sometimes drifting like snow. Female trees produce this cotton, while male trees do not.

Cottonwoods grow extremely quickly and provide rapid shade, but they are relatively short-lived, have brittle wood, and aggressive, water-seeking roots. They are ecological keystones of riparian corridors and the wider poplar group.

• Leaves: Broad, triangular (deltoid) leaves with coarsely toothed edges and a flattened leaf stalk that makes them flutter and rustle in the wind; glossy green turning yellow in fall
• Bark: Smooth and yellowish-green when young, becoming thick, deeply furrowed and grey with age
• Seeds: Tiny seeds attached to fluffy white cotton, released in abundance from female trees in early summer
• Catkins: Drooping catkins in spring before the leaves
• Size: Large — commonly 25–40 m (80–130 ft) tall with a broad spreading crown
• Growth: Very fast-growing but relatively short-lived with brittle wood

Light: Full sun; cottonwood is shade-intolerant and needs open conditions.

Water: Loves water — naturally grows in moist bottomlands and along watercourses, tolerating periodic flooding. Best in consistently moist soil.

Soil: Prefers moist, fertile, well-drained soils but is highly adaptable; tolerates sandy and silty floodplain soils.

Temperature: Very cold-hardy and adaptable across USDA zones 2–9.

Feeding: Generally not needed; grows vigorously on its own.

Siting: Plant well away from buildings, drains and pavement — its fast, water-seeking roots and brittle branches can cause problems.

Propagation: Easily grown from seed or hardwood cuttings; even broken branches can root in moist soil.

Populus deltoides is native to North America, ranging across much of the eastern, central and southwestern United States and into Canada and northern Mexico. Related cottonwood species occur further west.

It is a classic riparian tree, growing along rivers, streams, lakeshores and floodplains where its roots reach abundant water. As a fast pioneer, it quickly colonizes open, disturbed and moist ground, and is planted for quick shade, windbreaks and stream-bank stabilization.

• Shade and shelter: Planted for fast shade and as windbreaks, especially in plains regions
• Ecological: A keystone riparian species providing habitat, nesting sites and food for birds, beavers and other wildlife; stabilizes riverbanks
• Timber and pulp: Soft, light wood used for pulp, pallets, crates, plywood and biomass
• Cultural and practical: Historically used by Indigenous peoples and settlers as a landmark and source of wood and shade in treeless plains
• Note: Female trees shed abundant cotton, so male or seedless cultivars are often chosen for landscaping