Description

See also Eastern Cottonwood description and illustrations.

Leaves: Similar to eastern cottonwood.

Twigs/buds: Twigs brown, shiny; thin, and round; tips often hairy.  Buds reddish-brown, hairless, shiny; relatively small, appressed, and gummy; lower scales often hairy.  

Flowers/fruit: Flowers are male catkins, 1" to 2" in length, with crimson anthers; occur before leaves.  Fruitless.

Bark: Grayish-green and smooth when young; darker gray, fissured, and rough with age.

Wood: Weak, prone to breakage; soft, light, and not durable; little information available.

General: Native to western Asia and eastern Europe, but heavily planted in Utah, especially in the past.  A sterile clone of Populus nigra. May be insect and/or disease prone, especially when stressed.  Prefers abundant water.  Rarely should be planted, though limited use in specific situations may be justified.

Landscape Use: Once popular in Utah because of its narrow canopy and upright form.  However, stressed trees weaken and die quickly (within 5 to 15 years) due to stem cankers.  Twigs break off in wind storms.  Fall color occasionally nice in Utah.  Grows fast, short-lived.  Should be planted less, if at all.  Zones 3-9.

Cultivars: 'Afghanica', 'Charkowensis', 'Fastigiata', 'Gigantea', 'Lombardy Gold', 'Majestic', 'Pyramidalis', 'Thevestina'.

Characteristics