Ecological Role - The cottonwood is a producer, transforming the sun’s energy into food energy. It is used for pulp and for boxes. × Eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) Family: Salicaceae . ex Marsh. Celtis conferta subsp. Eastern Cottonwood, Eastern Poplar Salicaceae. Eastern Cottonwood Populus deltoides. Eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) is the fastest growing and largest tree found in Iowa. Mature trees with thick bark may be only scarred or top-killed. eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) Leaf: Alternate, simple, pinnately veined, 3 to 6 inches long, triangular (deltoid) in shape with a crenate/serrate margin. ... 17.78 cm) long and 3 – 5 in. Eastern cottonwood is a large, fast-growing tree found growing along streams, rivers, and lowland areas. Eastern cottonwood has limited timber use. This tree species occurs from Alberta east to Quebec and south to Florida, Texas, Arizona, and northern Mexico. It falls somewhere between crenate to serrate, and is even considered to be dentate in some texts. Altitude is a primary determiner of the western boundary. Leaf Width - 3 to 5 inches. The splendid purple-pink flowers appear all over the tree in spring, just before the leaves emerge. Forestryimages.org provides several images of parts of Eastern cottonwood. The leaf petiole is 3 to 4 inches long and flatted. Leaf Size 3 to 5" long and wide. The lightweight, rather soft wood is used primarily for core stock in manufacturing furniture and for pulpwood. Fire scars may facilitate the onset of heartwood decay. 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. Leaf Margin. The eastern cottonwood is a member of the willow family (Salicaceae). It is not uncommon for young trees to grow in excess of 6 feet in height each year. 5–10 cm; Colour. Form: This is a medium-sized tree reaching 70-100 ft. in height and 2.5- 4 ft dbh. Cottonwood is a large tree with long, straight trunk and massive branches forming a rounded top. The largest specimen in Iowa is over 11 feet in diameter, 80 feet tall and more than 85 feet in width. Eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides), one of the largest eastern hardwoods, is short-lived but the fastest-growing commercial forest species in North America. Leaves are green in summer, turning yellow or brown in fall. 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. 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. are large, quick-growing trees valued for their vibrant autumn foliage. Leaves are simple, alternate, and deciduous. Leaf margins can be … Due to its large size, weak wood, and penetrating roots, it is best used on large properties away from residential areas. Eastern Cottonwood Leaf - Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University. Eastern Redbud has an irregular growth habit when young but forms a gr… Leaf buds are large, 1-inch long, reddish green and pointed. Eastern Cottonwood - Populus deltoides Leaves are alternate, simple, single toothed, triangle shaped. Male clones, which have none of the objectionable "cotton" associated with seed, are preferred. 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. Cottonwood has been used for windbreaks and soil stabilization. Nonetheless, it is still utilized in the making of containers, furniture parts, and high-grade pulp. Trees of this size are often found on moist sites. Deep planting permits reforesting of nonproductive fields with sandy soils having available moisture beneath a dry surface layer. Fast-growing yet relatively short-lived, cottonwoods are easily distinguished by their triangular- (or deltoid-) shaped leaves that easily flutter in the wind. Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) Leaf Margins: Crenate. He is a member of the Society of American Foresters. Each capsule has 3 or 4 valves. Twig: Stout, somewhat angled and yellowish; buds are 3/4 inch long, covered with several brown, resinous scales. Male and female flowers develop on separate trees. Click on any thumbnail to see a photo. The tree is a hardwood and the lineal taxonomy is Magnoliopsida > Salicales > Salicaceae > Populus deltoides deltoides Bartr. It is shade-intolerant and found on rich, moist sites often near rivers and streams. Eastern Cottonwood; Eastern Poplar; Poplar; Phonetic Spelling POP-yoo-lus del-TOY-deez Description. The 2 to 5 inch long, simple, triangle-shaped, deciduous leaves have a toothed margin, and an elongated tip. It grows best on moist well-drained sands or silts near streams, often in pure stands. Find the perfect eastern cottonwood stock photo. The leaf on the right, with the long petiole, is from a Populus deltoides, or Plains and eastern cottonwood. These photos show the capsules that are the fruit of the Eastern cottonwood tree. This NC native plant is found at fine sandy loams or silt loams in stream banks of the piedmont and coastal plain. The eastern cottonwood is a member of the willow family (Salicaceae). Eastern cottonwood is frequently planted to give quick shade near homes. The wood is light, soft, and weak. 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. Eastern cottonwood is one of the few hardwood species that is planted and grown specifically for these purposes. The leaf shape of cottonwood trees will set them apart from tuliptrees. It grows tall as well, averaging 80-100 ft but potentially growing as high as 200 ft. (Dave Powell/USDA Forest Service/CC BY 3.0 us), (U.S. Geological Survey/Wikimedia Commons), (Bureau of Land Management/Wikimedia Commons), Cucumbertree, A Common Tree in North America, Mockernut Hickory, A Common Tree in North America, Black Locust, a Common Tree in North America, White Oak, A Common Tree in North America, Slippery Elm, A Common Tree in North America, Southern Red Oak, a Common Tree in North America, American Beech, a Common Tree in North America, Butternut, a Common Tree in North America, Black Oak, a Common Tree in North America, Scarlet Oak, A Top 100 Common Tree in North America, Willow Oak: Favorite Wildlife Food and Landscape Tree, B.S., Forest Resource Management, University of Georgia. Bark Ridge and furrowed. Click on second leaf photo for enlargement to see flattened stem and glands at base of leaf. Look for snowstorms of this cotton in early June. Common name: Banana tree Scientific name: Musa Leaf shape: Oblong shape FIGURE 7 8. Leaf Arrangement Alternate. Beavers are known to use cottonwood poles for construction of their dams. The leaves are large and deltoid (triangular) in shape with a more or less flattened base and long petiole. Specific Epithet deltoides. It sometimes reaches a height of 100 to 130 feet and a diameter of 5 to 6 feet. 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. We have looked at ways of identifying leaves by looking at the way they are arranged on the stem and their overall shape. Fall Color Yellow. Mature trees have deep grooves with thick ridges and are light brown to ash-gray in color. occidentalis, plains cottonwood, where the ranges overlap. Tuliptrees have very distinctive leaves. Arboretum Collection LT. Lifecycle. Leaf Margin Serrated. Has a bitter aspirin taste. Common Name - Eastern Cottonwood. The abundant branches are ascending above and drooping below; they are somewhat crooked and knobby. The mature eastern cottonwood grows to a height of 65-130 ft. (20-40 m). Cookies. It grows best on moist well-drained sands or silts near streams, often in pure stands. The trunk bark of mature trees is thick, gray, and coarsely ridged. 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. (7.62 – 12.7 cm) wide, sometimes triangular, sometimes heart-shaped, leaf margin serrated; petioles flat. Cottonwood leaves are triangular with course teeth along the margins. The wood is light, soft, and weak, and is dark brown in color with thick nearly white sapwood, warping badly in drying. Tree leaves come in all sorts and sizes, and knowing the shape of particular leaves can help to quickly identify the tree species. No need to register, buy now! Eastern cottonwood is a medium-sized tree that reaches heights of 50’to 100’ in height. Leaf Type Simple. Use "esc" to exit the lightbox. 7. Some improved clones in some tree plantations have yielded trees that grew up to 10 feet per year. Plants. Note: The margin of the Eastern Cottonwood is a bit difficult to discern. Named after 19th century American explorer John C. Fremont, it is similar to the Eastern Cottonwood, differing mainly in the leaves having fewer, larger serrations on the leaf edge and small … 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), one of the largest eastern hardwoods, is short-lived but the fastest-growing commercial forest species in North America. USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) -. 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. The petiole is distinctively flattened, making the leaf flap from side to side rather than up and down. 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 The state tree of Oklahoma, Eastern Redbud is a moderate to rapid-grower when young, reaching a height of 20 to 30 feet. Margin: crenate-serrate. Eastern cottonwood requires leaf N concentrations of at least 2 percent to maximize volume production (Blackmon and White 1972). Habitat. There has been considerable interest in cottonwood for energy biomass, because of its high yield potential and coppicing ability. 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