Common cottonwood
July 31, 2015
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EmailPopulus deltoides Marshall
Life cycle
Fast-growing, weedy tree.
Common cottonwood tree.
Leaves
Alternate, simple, broadly triangular, 3 to 5 inches long with coarse, incurved-toothed margins and a smooth base. Leaves are shiny green above and have two to five prominent, fingerlike glands where the long, flattened petiole attaches to the leaf. Margins are outlined by a colorless border.
Common cottonwood seedling (left). Common cottonwood leaf (right).
Stems
Up to 100 feet at maturity with a straight trunk and minimal branching. Bark is ash gray on mature trees and greenish yellow on young stems. Plants have the ability to form many vigorous, weedy sprouts.
Glands on upper leaf surface of common cottonwood.
Flowers and fruit
Male and female flowers are found on separate plants and are clustered in drooping, up to 4-inchlong spikes. Male flowers are reddish; female flowers are greenish. Fruit are three- to four-valved capsules that release cottony, wind-disseminated seeds.
Mass of common cottonwood seeds.
Reproduction
Seeds.
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