Habitat

• native to eastern North America
• hardy to zone 2

Habit and Form

• 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

• alternate leaf arrangement
• simple, deciduous leaves
• lobed leaves with undulate leaf margins
• deltoid leaf shape
• toothed margins
• 2" to 5" long
• green leaf color

Autumn Foliage

• yellow fall color

Flowers

• yellow catkins
• before leafs out
• not ornamentally important

Fruit

• elongated capsule
• white, cotton-like ball
• 3 to 4 valved
• 0.25" to 0.33" long
• matures in June or July

Bark

• mature bark is deeply furrowed
• weak and brittle
• light, greenish brown color
• showy
• grayish, yellow stems
• stems are winged

Culture

• prefers wet soils
• full sun
• salt and drought tolerant
• transplant easily
• pH adaptable

Landscape Use

• lawn tree
• street tree when large spaces are available
• lumber
• good urban tree
• for shade
• for decoration from showy bark

Liabilities

• do not plant near sewers, septic tanks, drains or sidewalks
• suckers
• canker
• short-lived
• too many to name

ID Features

• imbricate, conical, .75" long, shiny brown terminal buds
• buds are resinous and pine-scented
• winged stems
• showy furrowed bark
• deltoid leaf shape
• toothed margins
• yellow catkins

Propagation

• by cuttings
• by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

'Siouxland' - The only widely available cultivar, this selection out of South Dakota grows quickly to form a pyramidal-rounded tree upwards of 70' tall. With age, it does appear to be susceptible to cankers and other diseases. As a selected male form, it is a "cottonless" cottonwood with no seed mess or errant seedlings. It also has a habit of losing its leaves over the course of the season. This plant is perhaps suitable for poor soil, wet soil and harsh climates.