Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)

Form

Height may reach 70 to 90 feet, diameter 3 to 5 feet; grows rapidly; long, pyramidal, open crown.

Bark

Thin, smooth and light gray on young trees; dark gray and deeply furrowed into broad, rounded ridges on older trees.

Leaf

Alternate; broadly ovate or triangular, tapered tip, square at base; toothed or wavy on edges, 3 to 5 inches across each way; leafstalks flattened and 2 to 3 inches long; winter buds covered with chestnut-brown, resinous scales.

Flower

Male and female flowers occur on separate trees.

Fruit

Capsule borne on catkins 6 to 8 inches long; capsule contains many seeds that are enclosed in clusters of white cottony hairs; wind can carry them for long distances. Can be easily propagated from cuttings.

Range

Throughout Wisconsin, though rarer in the north; often forming extensive groves along waterways; will grow on dry locations but makes most rapid growth on moist sites.

Wood

Soft, light-weight with dark brown heartwood and thick, nearly white sapwood, warps easily when drying and rots readily; used for boxes, fencing, fuel, rough lumber for inside use, making high-grade magazine paper for printing half-tone illustrations; grown extensively for windbreaks owing to rapid growth and adaptability to soil.