Practical
Plants

Populus deltoides

Eastern Cottonwood

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Populus genus in the family Salicaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Populus
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
vigorous
Height
30 m
Spread
20 m
Fertility
Self sterile, Wind
Flower type
dioecious
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Inner bark[2][6][9][17]. A mucilaginous texture, it is usually harvested in the spring[17]. There are no more details but inner bark is often dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickener in soups etc or added to cereals when making bread. Seeds[2][6][9]. No more details are given but they are very small and would be exceedingly fiddly to collect and use. Sap - used for food[17]. Buds[2][6][9]. No more details are given. The leaves are rich in protein and have a greater amino-acid content than wheat, corn, rice and barley[12]. A concentrate made from them is as nourishing as meat, but can be produced faster and more cheaply[12]. Some people believe that this will become a major food source for humans[12].

Plant part
Inner bark
Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Seed

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The bark contains salicin, a glycoside that probably decomposes into salicylic acid (aspirin) in the body[11][16]. The bark is therefore anodyne, anti-inflammatory and febrifuge. It is used especially in treating rheumatism and fevers, and also to relieve the pain of menstrual cramps[16]. An infusion of the bark has been used in the treatment of whooping cough and tuberculosis[17]. A decoction of the bark has been used to rid the body of intestinal worms[17]. The bark has been eaten as a treatment for colds[17]. A tea made from the inner bark is used in the treatment of scurvy[11]. The inner bark, combined with black haw bark (Crataegus douglasii) and wild plum bark (Prunus spp) has been used as a female tonic[11][17]. A poultice of the leaves has been used as a treatment for rheumatism, bruises, sores and boils[17].

Product or use
Anodyne
Product or use
Anthelmintic
Product or use
Antiinflammatory
Product or use
Antiscorbutic
Product or use
Blood purifier
Product or use
Febrifuge
Product or use
Poultice
Product or use
Tonic

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

An extract of the shoots can be used as a rooting hormone for all types of cuttings. It is extracted by soaking the chopped up shoots in cold water for a day[8]. Various dyes can be obtained from the leaf buds in the spring - green, white, yellow, purple and red have been mentioned[17]. Trees are planted for dune fixing in erosion control programmes[5][13]. They are also good pioneer species, growing quickly to provide a good habitat for other woodland trees and eventually being out-competed by those trees[14]. A fairly wind resistant tree, it can be grown as part of a shelterbelt planting[10][18]. Another report says that it is easily storm-damaged[13]. The wood has been used as a bio-mass for producing methanol, which can be used to power internal combustion engines[12]. Annual yields of 7 tonnes of oven-dry material per year have been achieved[18]. Wood - weak, soft, rather woolly in texture, without smell or taste, of low flammability, not durable, very resistant to abrasion but warps and shrinks badly[3][5][7][13]. It weighs 24lb per cubic foot[15]. The wood takes paint well, is easy to glue and nail[13]. It is used principally for lumber, pulp, crates, veneer etc[3][5][7].

Product or use
Biomass
Product or use
Dye
Product or use
Rooting hormone
Product or use
Wood

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Canopy

Environment

Range
N. America - Quebec to Florida, west to Minnesota and Texas.
Habitat
Rich moist soils, mainly along riverbanks, bottoms and rich woods[20][13].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 2+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
high wind
Wind
Yes
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - must be sown as soon as it is ripe in spring[4]. Poplar seed has an extremely short period of viability and needs to be sown within a few days of ripening[10]. Surface sow or just lightly cover the seed in trays in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the old frame. If sufficient growth is made, it might be possible to plant them out in late summer into their permanent positions, otherwise keep them in the cold frame until the following late spring and then plant them out. Most poplar species hybridize freely with each other, so the seed may not come true unless it is collected from the wild in areas with no other poplar species growing[3]. Cuttings of mature wood of the current season's growth, 20 - 40cm long, November/December in a sheltered outdoor bed or direct into their permanent positions. Very easy. Suckers in early spring[22].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

An easily grown plant, it does well in a heavy cold damp soil[1][18] but thrives best on moist well-drained, fine sandy loams or silts close to streams[18]. Prefers a deep rich well-drained circumneutral soil, growing best in the south and east of Britain[3][10]. Growth is much less on wet soils, on poor acid soils and on thin dry soils[3]. It does not do well in exposed upland sites[3]. It dislikes shade and is intolerant of root or branch competition[10]. Tolerates both hot and cool summers[10]. Fairly wind-tolerant[10]. The tree is reported to tolerate an annual precipitation in the range of 60 to 150cm, an annual temperature in the range of 8 to 14°C, and a pH of 4.5 to 8[18]. A fast-growing but short-lived tree[13][14][19]. It can make new shoots up to 1.5 metres long each year[19] and is often planted for timber in Europe[21]. It does have drawbacks, though, since it is easily storm-damaged, is easily damaged by fire when young and is much attacked by fungi[13]. Like the quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) the leaves of this species rustle even in light breezes[19]. The trees can be coppiced[5], sprouting freely from the base of the trunk and the roots if they are cut down[13]. Poplars have very extensive and aggressive root systems that can invade and damage drainage systems. Especially when grown on clay soils, they should not be planted within 12 metres of buildings since the root system can damage the building's foundations by drying out the soil[3]. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[10].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  3. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7

  4. Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0942375009

    ↩

  5. Vines. R. A. Trees of Central Texas. University of Texas Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0-292-78958-3

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  6. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

    ↩1↩2↩3

  7. Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  8. Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.

    ↩

  9. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩1↩2↩3

  10. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7

  11. Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0395467225

    ↩1↩2↩3

  12. Lauriault. J. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Ontario. 1989-00-00 ISBN 0889025649

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  13. Vines. R.A. Trees of North Texas University of Texas Press. 1982-00-00 ISBN 0292780206

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8

  14. Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980-00-00 ISBN 0442238622

    ↩1↩2

  15. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

    ↩

  16. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

    ↩1↩2

  17. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8↩9

  18. Duke. J. Handbook of Energy Crops - 1983-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  19. Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas Botanical Research Institute, Texas. 1999-00-00 http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm

    ↩1↩2↩3

  20. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

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  21. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

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  22. Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00

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