← Bedfellow

Eastern Cottonwood

Populus deltoides

One of the fastest-growing eastern trees — 6+ ft/year. Triangular leaves flutter audibly on flattened petioles. Female trees release cotton-like seeds in early summer (use male cultivars to avoid). Brittle wood drops branches; site away from structures. The inner bark has been dried into flour, mainly as a famine food.

Family

Salicaceae

Type

tree

Lifespan

perennial

Height

50–80 ft

Spacing

35–60 ft apart

Light

sun, part shade, shade

Soil moisture

dry, moist, wet

Soil pH

acidic, neutral

Bloom

February, March, April

Bloom colors

yellow

Wildlife value

songbirds, butterflies, larval host

Caterpillar hosts

~367 butterfly & moth species

Landscape uses

specimen, rain garden, erosion control

Native states

AL, AR, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WI, WV, WY