LARGE DECIDUOUS TREES

Populus deltoides Eastern Cottonwood, Eastern Poplar (pop-u-luss- dell-toy-deez)

᭣ ‘Siouxland’

ZONES: LEAF COLOR: Medium, lustrous green above in summer with densely pubescent 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 undersides; yellow in fall, dropping early. HEIGHT: LEAF DESCRIPTION: SIMPLE, 2 to 5 long and as broad, broad ovate shape (tri- 60 to 90 angular), acute tip (almost cuspidate), truncate base, petioles 3 or longer, crenate- undulate margins. ALTERNATE arrangement. WIDTH: FLOWER DESCRIPTION: Dioecious, male flowers and female flowers in pendu- 40 to 50 lous catkins, male with numerous red anthers. NOT SHOWY, appearing before the FRUIT: leaves in early spring. Tiny 1/4 dehiscent capsule, EXPOSURE/CULTURE: Best in full sun. Adapts to all soil types and pH levels, will seed tufted, white and stringy tolerate dry, moist, or saline (salt) conditions. Common in prairie states. like cotton. Considered messy PEST PROBLEMS: Borers and chewing insects. Not serious, usually. Very weak-wooded. for a period in summer. BARK/STEMS: Young stems yellow-green to yellow-brown. Bark on older trunks TEXTURE: is ash-gray with long, deep, interconnected furrows. Medium to coarse. SELECTED CULTIVARS: ‘Siouxland’ - One of the few cultivars. Male plant that does not produce the cottony fruit. GROWTH RATE: Rapid RELATED SPECIES: P. alba, White poplar. A “weed” tree (nuisance) but it does have at- tractive bark. P. Nigra, ‘Italica’ - The columnar (exclamation point) of poplars. Short HABIT: lived. Enough said!! P. Tremuloides, Quaking Aspen. Native to North America in large Young plants oval; becoming numbers. Nice bark and good fall color. Unfortunately subject to many diseases. open and irregular vase shape LANDSCAPE NOTES: Eastern Cottonwood is a handsome tree, especially in with age. youth. Apparently the cottony seed is considered by many to be significant enough FAMILY: to warrant continued development of male cultivars or hybrids. It is not a tree best Salicaceae suited to smaller properties. A nice lawn tree for larger gardens.