Populus deltoides

Populus deltoides is in the willow or Salicaceae family and is native to North America, growing from the central United States through to the south-west, also extending into the southernmost part of Manitoba in Canada.

The eastern cottonwood subspecies (P. deltoides subsp. deltoides) grows in much of the native range indicated on the attached map, while Rio Grande cottonwood (P. deltoides ssp. wislizeni) is common in the southwestern United States. As well, a similar species Fremont's cottonwood (P. fremontii) grows in a similar geographical area but along major waterways such as the Rio Grande and Colorado rivers.

• Leaves are simple, alternate, deltoid (triangular) in shape, 4–10 cm long and 4–11 cm broad with a flattened base and a petiole 3–12 cm long. The leaf is very coarsely toothed, the teeth curved and gland-tipped.
• The species is dioecious, with catkins produced on single-sex trees in early spring. Male (pollen) catkins are reddish-purple and 8–10 cm long; female catkins are green, 7–13 cm long at pollination, maturing 15–20 cm long with several 6-to-15-mm seed capsules in early summer, which open to release many small seeds attached to cotton-like strands.
• Twigs are stout, with brown, resinous buds 2 cm long.