← Bedfellow

Black Cottonwood

Populus trichocarpa

The towering cottonwood of western rivers, balsam-scented at leaf-out and shedding drifts of cottony seed in summer. The tallest western hardwood and vital riparian habitat. The inner bark, a sweet but fast-souring famine food, has been ground into flour; the sap and catkins have also been used as food.

Family

Salicaceae

Type

tree

Lifespan

perennial

Height

100–100 ft

Spacing

30–50 ft apart

Light

sun

Soil moisture

moist

Soil pH

acidic, neutral, alkaline

Bloom

March, April

Bloom colors

yellow

Wildlife value

pollinators, songbirds, mammals, larval host

Caterpillar hosts

~367 butterfly & moth species

Landscape uses

specimen, rain garden, erosion control

Native states

AK, CA, ID, MT, ND, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY