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Native Plant Trust: Go Botany Discover thousands of New England plants

Populus deltoides — eastern cottonwood, necklace poplar

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Facts

Though necklace poplar (also known as eastern cottonwood) is a short-lived tree, already old at age 75, it can grow to 100 feet (30m) or more in height in its native streamside habitats. Cottonwood gets its common name from the wads of cotton surrounding its seeds, which facilitate dispersal by wind and water. Look for snowstorms of this cotton in early June. With its stabilizing roots, it is tolerant of stream and river floods, and is an important tree in maintaining the structure and function of floodplains. Although its wood is as stiff as white oak and yet light as white pine, it is under-used because it is susceptible to warping. This rapidly-growing species is a convenient shade tree.

Habitat

Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), floodplain (river or stream floodplains), shores of rivers or lakes

New England distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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North America distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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Characteristics

Habitat
  • terrestrial
  • wetlands
New England state
  • Connecticut
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont
Growth form
the plant is a tree
Leaf type
the leaf blade is simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
Leaves per node
there is one leaf per node along the stem
Leaf blade edges
the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
Leaf duration
the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
armature on plant
the plant does not have spines, prickles, or thorns
Leaf blade length
100–180 mm
Leaf blade width
60–120 mm
Leaf stalk
the leaves have leaf stalks
Fruit type (general)
the fruit is dry and splits open when ripe
Bark texture
the bark of an adult plant is ridged or plated
Twig winter color
  • brown
  • gray
  • red
  • yellow
Bud scale number
there are three or more scales on the winter bud, and they overlap like shingles, with one edge covered and the other edge exposed
Show all characteristics

  • Buds or leaf scars

    Bud scale number
    there are three or more scales on the winter bud, and they overlap like shingles, with one edge covered and the other edge exposed
    Bud scar shape (Fraxinus)
    NA
    Collateral buds
    there are no collateral buds on the sides of the branches
    Leaf scar arrangement
    there is one leaf scar per node on the stem or twig
    Superposed buds
    there are no superposed buds on the branch
    Terminal bud
    the branch has a terminal bud on it
    Winter bud distribution
    the winter buds are distributed fairly evenly along the twig
    Winter bud scale hairs
    • the winter bud scales are hairy
    • the winter bud scales have no hairs on them
    Winter bud scales
    the winter bud is perulate (partially or completely covered with one or more scales)
    Winter bud shape
    • the winter buds are lanceoloid (lance-shaped, widest below the middle and tapering to the ends)
    • the winter buds are ovoid (egg-shaped)
    Winter bud stalks
    the winter buds have no stalks

  • Flowers

    Carpels fused
    the carpels are fused to one another
    Enlarged sterile flowers
    there are no enlarged sterile flowers on the plant
    Flower appearance
    the flowers appear before the leaves
    Flower petal color
    NA
    Flower symmetry
    there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
    Hairs on ovary (Amelanchier)
    NA
    Hypanthium present
    the flower does not have a hypanthium
    Inflorescence type
    the inflorescence is an ament (catkin; slender, usually pendulous inflorescence with crowded unisexual flowers)
    Number of pistils
    1
    Ovary position
    the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
    Petal and sepal arrangement
    the flower lacks sepals and petals
    Petal appearance
    NA
    Petal fusion
    NA
    Sepal appearance
    NA
    Sepal cilia (Ilex)
    NA
    Sepal tip glands
    NA
    Sepals fused only to sepals
    NA
    Stamen number
    13 or more
    Stamen position relative to petals
    NA
    Stamens fused
    the stamens are not fused to one another

  • Fruits or seeds

    Berry color
    NA
    Fruit type (general)
    the fruit is dry and splits open when ripe
    Fruit type (specific)
    the fruit is a capsule (splits along two or more seams, apical teeth or pores when dry, to release two or more seeds)
    Nut with spines (Fagaceae)
    NA
    Wings on fruit
    there are no wings on the fruit

  • Glands or sap

    Sap color
    the sap is clear and watery
    Stalked glands on fruit (Rosa)
    NA

  • Growth form

    Growth form
    the plant is a tree

  • Leaves

    Hairs on underside of leaf blade
    the underside of the leaf has no hairs
    Hairs on upper side of leaf blade
    the upper side of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
    Leaf blade base shape
    • The base of the leaf blade is cordate (heart-shaped, with rounded lobes)
    • the base of the leaf blade is truncate (ends abruptly in a more or less straight line as though cut off)
    Leaf blade base symmetry
    the leaf blade base is symmetrical
    Leaf blade bloom
    the underside of the leaf has no noticeable bloom
    Leaf blade edges
    the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
    Leaf blade edges (Acer)
    NA
    Leaf blade flatness
    the leaf is flat (planar) at the edges
    Leaf blade hairs
    NA
    Leaf blade length
    100–180 mm
    Leaf blade scales
    there are no scales on the leaf blades
    Leaf blade shape
    • the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
    • the leaf blade is triangular, with the stalk or attachment point on one of the sides
    Leaf blade texture
    • the leaf blade is coriaceous (has a firm, leathery texture)
    • the leaf blade is herbaceous (has a leafy texture)
    Leaf blade translucent dots
    there are no translucent dots on the leaf blade
    Leaf blade vein pattern
    the main veins of the leaf blade are pinnate (the secondary veins branch off at intervals from the main central vein) and non-arcuate (not arched towards the leaf tip)
    Leaf blade veins
    the leaf blade has one main vein running from the base toward the tip
    Leaf blade width
    60–120 mm
    Leaf duration
    the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
    Leaf form
    the plant is broad-leaved (with broadly flattened leaf blades)
    Leaf lobe tips (Quercus)
    NA
    Leaf midrib glands
    the midrib of the leaf blade lacks glands on the upper surface
    Leaf stalk
    the leaves have leaf stalks
    Leaf stalk attachment to leaf
    the petiole attaches at the basal margin of the leaf blade
    Leaf stalk nectaries
    the leaf stalk has nectaries on it
    Leaf stalk shape
    the leaf stalk is flattened, perpendicular to the plane of the leaf blade
    Leaf teeth
    • the leaf blade margin is crenate (with rounded teeth) or crenulate (with tiny, rounded teeth)
    • the leaf blade margin is serrate (with forward-pointing) or dentate (with outward-pointing) with medium-sized to coarse teeth
    Leaf teeth hairs (Carya)
    NA
    Leaf type
    the leaf blade is simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
    Leaves per node
    there is one leaf per node along the stem
    Specific leaf type
    the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets
    Stipules
    there are no stipules on the plant, or they fall off as the leaf expands

  • Place

    Habitat
    • terrestrial
    • wetlands
    New England state
    • Connecticut
    • Maine
    • Massachusetts
    • New Hampshire
    • Rhode Island
    • Vermont
    Specific habitat
    • man-made or disturbed habitats
    • river or stream floodplains
    • shores of rivers or lakes

  • Scent

    Plant odor
    the plant does not have much of an odor, or it has an unpleasant or repellant odor

  • Stem, shoot, branch

    Aerial roots
    the plant has no aerial roots
    Bark texture
    the bark of an adult plant is ridged or plated
    Branch brittleness (willows only)
    NA
    Branch cross-section
    the branch is roughly square or rectangular in cross-section, with four sides and four edges
    First-year cane (Rubus)
    NA
    Lenticels on twigs
    there are clearly lenticels on the twigs
    Pith shape
    the outline of the pith in a twig is roughly round
    Twig bloom
    there is no bloom on the twig
    Twig hairs
    the twigs have few or no hairs on them
    Twig papillae (Vaccinium species only)
    NA
    Twig scales
    there are no scales on the twig surface
    Twig winter color
    • brown
    • gray
    • red
    • yellow
    Wings on branch
    the branch does not have wings on it
    armature on plant
    the plant does not have spines, prickles, or thorns

Wetland status

Occurs in wetlands or non-wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FAC)

In New England

Distribution

Connecticut
present
Maine
present
Massachusetts
present
New Hampshire
present
Rhode Island
present
Vermont
present

Conservation status

Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.

ssp. deltoides

Massachusetts
fairly widespread (S-rank: S4)

Subspecies and varieties

Our variety is Populus deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh. var. deltoides.

From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key

3.  Populus deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh. var. deltoides N│E

necklace poplar. Populus angulata Ait.; P. angulata Ait. var. missouriensis A. Henry; 
 P. balsamifera L. var. missouriensis (A. Henry) Rehd.; P. deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh. var. angulata (Ait.) Sarg.; P. deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh. var. missouriensis (A. Henry) A. Henry; P. deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh. var. pilosa (Sarg.) Sudworth • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. River banks, riparian forests, lacustrine forests, roadsides, waste areas, about dwellings. This species is non-native in 
ME and native, at least in part, to other states in New England. As a native, it appears usually on shorelines and riverbanks and in lacustrine and riparian floodplains.

2×3. Populus balsamifera × Populus deltoides → Populus ×‌jackii Sarg. is an uncommon hybrid poplar that has escaped from cultivation in CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. It has long been known by the name Populus ×‌gileadensis Rouleau. It can be recognized by its broad-ovate or triangular-ovate leaf blades that are acuminate at the apex and borne on weakly compressed petioles, visicid terminal winter buds, terete branchlets (rather than somewhat 4-angled in P. deltoides), staminate flowers with 25–40 stamens (rather than (30–) 40–80 stamens in P. deltoides), and 2- or 3-valved capsules with 7–14 (–20) seeds per placenta (rather than 2-valved capsules with 15–22 seeds per placenta in P. balsamifera).

Native to North America?

Yes

Sometimes confused with

Populus nigra:
leaf blades on long shoots 5–10 cm long, eciliate, crenate-serrate with teeth ca. 1 mm tall, and apex of petiole without glands (vs. P. deltoides, with leaf blades on long shoots 10–18 cm long, ciliate, serrate with teeth 2–5 mm tall, and apex of petiole with 2–5 glands).

Synonyms

  • Populus angulata Ait.
  • Populus angulata Ait. var. missouriensis A. Henry
  • Populus balsamifera var. missouriensis (A. Henry) Rehd.
  • Populus deltoides var. angulata (Ait.) Sarg.
  • Populus deltoides var. missouriensis (A. Henry) A. Henry
  • Populus deltoides var. pilosa (Sarg.) Sudworth

Family

Salicaceae

Genus

Populus