Handbook of Trees of the Noetheen States and Ca 



99 



The Lance-leaf Cottonwood is the least 

 abundant representative of the genus within the 

 United States. It is a tree of medium stature, 

 rarely if ever surpassing 50 or 60 ft. in height 

 or 2 or 3 ft. in thickness of trunk, with rounded 

 or pyramidal top of stout spreading branches. 

 The bark of branches and upper trunk is of a 

 pale grayish brown color fissured into narrow 

 flat ridges. Like the Narrow-leaf Cottonwood, 

 with which this tree was confounded until 

 recently separated by Mr. Rydberg, the bark of 

 branches and upper trunk is very smooth and 

 of a pale ash-gray color, but that of tlie branch- 

 lets differs in being of a light greenish brown 

 color, rather than orange-brown, and its buds 

 are larger, more resin-coated and more curved. 

 It is confined in its distribution, as far as now 

 known, to the banks of streams along the 

 eastern dry foot-hills of the Rocky Mountains 

 from Assiniboia to New Mexico. It is occasion- 

 ally planted as a shade-tree in cities and vil- 

 lages of Colorado and \Yyoming. 



The wood is light, soft, not strong and suit- 

 able for the uses to which the common Cotton- 

 wood is applied. 



Leaves rhombic-lanceolate, 2-.5 in. long-, cunente 

 or rarely rounded at base, acuminate, coav.sely 

 cvenate-serrate excepting at base and apex which 

 arc mostly entire, lustrous dark green above, dull 

 green beneath ; petioles slender, terete, 1-'^ in. 

 long. FJoircrs rather open loose aments ; stami- 

 nate IV^-^) in. long; disk of flower oblique saucer- 

 shaped with numerous stamens ; pistillate aments 

 becoming 3-4 in. long, drooping ; disk cup-shaped ; 

 stigma laciniate-lobed. Fruit in rather loo-c 

 drooping aments with oblong-ovoid distinctly 

 pediceled and usually 3-valved capsules. 



