7 minute read
PLANT OF THE MONTH
Populus deltoides, the Eastern Cottonwood or Necklace Poplar, is a Cottonwood poplar native to North America, growing throughout the eastern, central, and southwestern United States, the southernmost part of eastern Canada, and northeastern Mexico.
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JIM FUNAI, LIC Cuyahoga Community College SHELLEY FUNAI, LIC Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens
POPULUS DELTOIDES EASTERN COTTONWOOD
We were inspired to write about this month’s tree after a conversation with a fan of our articles mentioned that a client of his was seeking advice on what to do with it. If you’ve had a client with a Cottonwood, you’re likely in the same boat, as clients often believe they are either dangerous, or simply hate them for the mess they make. Truth be told, it is not too often that you’ll find someone who looks at a Cottonwood and goes on and on about how they admire it. Thus, you’ll be glad to hear that we do not intend to convince you otherwise; this is not a tree for the urban landscape. However, it is a native tree of significance, and as stewards of the environment, we need to understand the bigger picture when it comes to how designed landscapes fit in with the natural.
Populus is a genus comprising around 30 species within the Willow family (Salicaceae), which are all fairly large trees, some with great cultural significance. The genus name comes from ancient Rome where it was common to plant Poplar trees for shade around public gathering places, thus being planted for the benefit of the “populus” (common people). This particular species’ specific epithet deltoides refers to the deltoid (triangle) shape of the leaf. While it is difficult to confirm, lore in many European countries is it was commonplace for the Roman army to plant a columnar form of Populus nigra (Black Poplar) along their straight roads, between major cities, to indicate the road was Roman
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controlled. There certainly are a lot of roads in Europe lined with them, to this day. These days the name for the columnar form is P. nigra ‘Italica,’ or the Lombardy poplar, named for the Lombardy region of Northern Italy.
While it is a weak wood – you won’t find it in furniture – it is commonly used in parts of string instruments for its acoustic properties and because it is rather lightweight. The wood is also a common pulp wood for wood products and paper. Many historical paintings were done on boards made of poplar trees, including the Mona Lisa, due to the plain white color of the wood.
In the past, we’ve written an article on Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) which is a root-suckering, colonyforming tree, and holds the record of the oldest living thing on earth. “Pando” is a colony of Quaking Aspen in Utah which is around 80,000 years old and covers over 106 acre – pretty impressive! Like Quaking Aspen, Cottonwoods are dioecious (male/female flowers on separate plants). What this means is only the female trees will get the masses of “cotton” that most people despise the plant for. Spring flowers on females are plain-green pendulous, apetalous and unnoticed, while the male is a deep-red, pendulous catkin in late March to early April. Following the flowers on female plants, the catkins give way to what looks like a string of green pearls hanging all over the tree. In late May, the green pearls split open to give us all the joy of cottony poofballs floating all over the place, collecting along hardscape edges, in gutters, and catching in mulch like a giant bed of Velcro.
There are three subspecies of Populus deltoides across the United States. P. deltoides subsp. deltoides is native to the eastern half of the US, including here in Ohio. Populus d. subsp. monilifera is more common in the central US and Canada, while P.d. subsp. wislizeni – called the Rio Grande Cottonwood – is a western species from Colorado to the southwest.
All subspecies of Cottonwood are of similar habit in nature. Cottonwood is a large tree capable of reaching well into the 80 foot tall by 80 to 100 foot wide range, with age. These trees behave as a pioneer species, which means they have traits that we would often not seek for the urban landscape. continued on page 24
Pioneer species are fast-growing, shorter-lived, and heavy seed producers. All of this makes sense when you consider they are designed to move into a disturbed habitat and re-establish plant life. The heavy seed production increases odds for plants to sprout and grow. These plants can thrive in poor soils found on disturbed sites and help establish a new soil ecosystem by adding organic material over the years. Eventually, conditions improve in the site and new plants establish themselves, outcompeting for resources against the pioneers. This is why you find our mature forests to have apex species like Maple, Beech, Oak and Hickory, not Black Locust and Cottonwood. continued from page 23
Along with dropping branches and the mess of cotton each spring, these trees also have very aggressive root systems that will invade drainage lines, if given the chance, and have been known to destroy hardscapes. There really isn’t a redeeming quality to find with this plant when it comes to use in the urban landscape.
However, remember, we are stewards of the overall environment and as such, we must realize that this tree serves a purpose. These trees are great for establishing habitat, soil erosion control, and streambank stabilization. If you have a client with a large property with some swampy/wet areas in the back (a lot of commercial properties), this can be a great tree to get habitat established and provide ecological benefit. The seeds are of high value to granivorous (seed eating) birds and are often used for nesting materials. The larvae of mourning cloak, red-spotted purple, viceroy, and tiger swallowtail butterflies also depend on these trees for forage. There are a few cultivars available out there, but they can be hard to come by. ‘Siouxland’ is an all male cultivar which does not produce the cottony mess that people object to (which doesn’t do the birds much good) but is more common in the plain states than here in Ohio. Klyn Nursery has a very interesting cultivar named ‘Fuego’ which has deep red/ purple leaves, and in spring is reminiscent of ‘Crimson King’ Norway Maple. It will grow very columnar, as we’ve had one in our landscape at home for about 3 years now and it clearly has a columnar habit. Expect maybe 30 to 50 feet tall and a width between 10 to 20 feet. This tree could make a bold statement in the landscape in a low spot where drainage isn’t a solution and some attractive landscaping would help mop up the mess.
Remember, just because a plant isn’t great for the urbanized landscapes we are all designing doesn’t mean it is a useless plant. Take care of the entire ecosystem and it will take care of us!
Jim Funai, PhD. is full-time faculty at Cuyahoga Community College, a NALP accredited associate of applied science in hoticulture degree program. He has a PhD in Landscape Engineering and Forestry and is a Licensed Arborist. Shelley Funai is Grounds Manager at Stan Hywett Hall and Gardens in Akron, Ohio, which offers a historic estate designed by Warren H. Manning and a beautiful manor house museum. She is Landscape Industry Certified in Ornamental Plant Care.
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