Eastern Cottonwood

Scientific Name: Populus deltoides W. Bartram ex Marshall

Eastern Cottonwood

General Information
Usda Symbol	PODE3
Group	Dicot
Life Cycle	Perennial
Growth Habits	Tree
Native Locations	PODE3

Plant Guide

Use soil moisture sensors to measure the soil moisture of Eastern Cottonwood.

Fact Sheet

Uses

Timber: The wood of eastern cottonwood is light, soft, and weak. It is not durable, warps badly in drying, and is difficult to season. It is used principally for containers, interior parts of furniture, corestock in plywood, and high-grade pulp. Erosion control: It is planted on strip mine spoils for erosion control and wood production. Male, non-hybrid adapted clones make good selections for windbreaks in multi-row installations. Recreation: Due to its rapid growth rate, it is frequently used for providing quick shade around recreational developments, campsites and picnic areas. Landscape and beautification: This species is occasionally planted as an ornamental shade tree, however caution should be used because the tree grows large and is susceptible to wind and ice damage. Wildlife: Seedlings and young trees are browsed by rabbits, deer, and domestic stock. Beavers use saplings and poles for food and dam construction.

Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status (e.g. threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

Description

Populus deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh., eastern cottonwood, is a fast-growing tree which reaches 80 to l00 feet in height and 3 to 4 feet in diameter. It is a relatively short-lived tree, seldom surviving for more than 80 years. The leaves are broadly triangular, ovate in outline, 3 to 5 inches long and nearly as wide. They are dark green, lustrous above, and paler and smooth beneath. The marginal teeth are somewhat hooked, being larger toward the leaf base and smaller toward the pointed tip. Twigs are rather stout, round, and distinctly enlarged at the nodes. The conical, pointed buds are smooth, glossy, and olive-brown to reddish-brown in color. The bark of younger trees is rather smooth and greenish-gray. On older trunks it becomes ashy-gray and is roughened by long, deep, longitudinal and interconnecting furrows.

Adaptation and Distribution

Distribution

Distribution

Cottonwood makes its best growth on moist, well-drained, fine sandy loams or silt loams. Coarse sands and heavy clay soils are not satisfactory. It has been found to be relatively tolerant of drier sites as shown by survival and growth of trees planted on strip mine spoil. Cottonwood is resistant to flood damage and usually tolerates a soil pH range of 4.5 to 8.0. Eastern cottonwood is distributed throughout the East and Midwest. For a current distribution map, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Website.

Establishment

Natural regeneration of cottonwood is usually by seed, Propagation by cuttings is the usual method of vegetative reproduction, The best planting stock is unrooted cuttings from 1 to 3 year old seedlings, Use soil moisture sensors to measure the soil moisture of Eastern Cottonwood., Cuttings are planted while dormant with sufficient cultivation to reduce competition,

Management

If this tree is planted for intensive culture management care must be taken to reduce completion from weed and other unwanted vegetation. On wide spacing, disking between the rows can be used to control vegetation. Care must also be taken to avoid over grazing by deer and other animals. Around buildings the plant may prove to be a nuisance. The silky-haired seeds of the female plants can clog gutters and the shallow root system may interfere with sewer lines.

Plant Traits

Growth Requirements

Morphology/Physiology

Reproduction

Suitability/Use

Eastern Cottonwood

Eastern Cottonwood

Eastern Cottonwood

Eastern Cottonwood

Eastern Cottonwood

Eastern Cottonwood

Eastern Cottonwood

Eastern Cottonwood

Eastern Cottonwood

Eastern Cottonwood

Eastern Cottonwood

Eastern Cottonwood

Eastern Cottonwood

Eastern Cottonwood

Eastern Cottonwood

Eastern Cottonwood

Eastern Cottonwood

Eastern Cottonwood