E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Populus deltoides W. Bartram ex Marshall
eastern cottonwood
Salicaceae (Willow family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Amelie Rousseau  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #6468)

E-Flora BC Static Map
Distribution of Populus deltoides
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Species Information

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General:
Dioecious tree up to 20 m tall; not colonial; branches yellowish-brown to grey; twigs yellowish, smooth.
Leaves:
Alternate, deciduous, simple, triangular, 4-10 cm long, 4-11 cm wide, the bases heart-shaped or squared-off, smooth, finely toothed and hairy, the teeth often callous-tipped, both sides green; leaf stalks 4-14 cm long, often with a pair of glands near the blade; buds finely hairy with fringed scales, resinous.
Flowers:
Borne in catkins; male catkins 5-9 cm long, soon deciduous, with 40-60 stamens; female catkins 8-15 cm long.
Fruits:
Capsules, egg-shaped, carpels 3-4, smooth, short-stalked.
Notes:
Two subspecies apparently occur in BC:

1. Winter buds smooth; emerging leaves long-hairy; flower stalks variable in length ....................ssp. Deltoides

1. Winter buds pubescent; emerging leaves smooth; flower stalks uniform in length (less than 6 mm long)..................... ssp. monilifera (W. Aiton) Eckenwalder

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

USDA Species Characteristics

Flower Colour:
Yellow
Blooming Period:
Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: White
Present over the Spring
Source:  The USDA

Habitat / Range

Mesic to dry fields and disturbed sites; rare in SC and SE BC; introduced from E North America.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Additional Photo Sources

General References