The Trees of Vermont 73 



SALICACEAE 



Cottonwood. Necklace Poplar 

 Populus deltoides Marsh. [Populus monilifera Ait.] 



Habit. — A stately tree attaining a height of 70-90 feet and a trunk 

 diameter of 3-5 feet; forming a spreading, open, symmetrical crown of 

 massive, horizontal branches and stout, more or less angled branchlets. 



Leaves. — Alternate, simple, 3-6 inches long, nearly as broad ; 

 broadly deltoid-ovate ; coarsely crenate-serrate above the entire base ; 

 thick and firm ; lustrous, dark green above, paler beneath ; petioles 2-3 

 inches long, slender, compressed laterally. 



Flowers. — April-May, before the leaves ; dioecious ; the staminate 

 in short-stalked, densely-flowered catkins 3-4 inches long ; the pistillate 

 in short-stalked, few-flowered catkins elongating to 6-8 inches ; calyx 

 0; corolla 0; stamens very numerous, with red anthers; stigmas 3-4, 

 spreading. 



Fruit. — May ; 2-4-valved, short-stalked capsules, borne in droop- 

 ing catkins 5-10 inches long; seeds light brown, densely cottony. 



Winter-buds.— Terminal bud y2 inch long, conical, acute, very 

 resinous, shining, brownish. 



Bark. — Twigs and young stems smooth, yellow-green ; old trunks 

 ashy gray, deeply divided into straight furrows with broad, rounded 

 ridges. 



Wood. — Light, soft, weak, close-grained, dark brown, with thick, 

 whitish sapwood ; warps badly and is difficult to season. 



Distribution. — Frequent in western Vermont. 



Habitat. — Prefers rich, moist soil, such as river-banks, river- 

 bottoms or lake-shores ; grows well in drier situations. 



Notes. — The cottonwood occurs native in the Champlain valley 

 and along its tributary streams, and south in western Vermont to the 

 Hoosic valley in Pownal, where it is particularly abundant. It occurs 

 along the Connecticut river in southeastern Vermont at least as far 

 north as Brattleboro. It has been planted as a shade tree in other 

 localities usually under the name of "Carolina poplar." The stamen- 

 bearing trees always should be chosen for this purpose since the abun- 

 dant, cottony seed is a nuisance near dwellings. 



The cottonwood is the most massive of our deciduous trees, some- 

 times reaching 100 feet in height and five to seven feet in diameter. 

 Such isolated giants have become the familiar landmarks of many 

 roadsides near Lake Champlain. It is a rapid-growing tree but short- 

 lived and poorly adapted to street planting. 



