Black Cottonwood

Populus trichocarpa

Family: Salicaceae or Willow (Poplar)

Leaves: Ovate to ovate-lanceolate; rounded base and angled; 3" to 6" long, 3" to 4" wide; acute to acuminate apex; rounded base; finely serrate margin; dark green above, paler beneath; petiole round, slender, long.

Twigs/buds: Yellowish to red-brown, moderately slender, round to angled. Buds resinous, sticky, and fragrant in spring.

Flowers/fruit: Flowers are catkins; 1-1/2" to 3-1/4" long. Fruit is a capsule borne in catkins; capsules are almost ball-shaped, hairy, 3-parted when mature, and approximately 1/3" long.

Bark: Grayish-green to yellowish-gray and smooth early on; darker gray-brown with ridges and furrows when mature.

Wood: Heartwood light-brown to grayish-white; sapwood whitish; relatively straight-grained and uniform-textured; odorless when dried, shrinkage moderately high; soft, relatively weak and brittle, branch structure also weak; fuzzy surface (tension wood) makes it hard to work with; difficult to split; used for wood pulp, boxes, crates, containers, implements, woodenware, barrels, trunks, and drawers.

General: Some sources show this as native to extreme northern Utah; at any rate uncommon.

Landscape Use: Not planted and no cultivars available. Zones 3-8.

Comments and Limitations:

• Weak wood and/or branch structure.
• Prefers abundant water.