Eastern
Cottonwood, Populus deltoids,
is a true poplar unlike tulip-poplar, Liriodendron
tulipfera.Empress tree, Paulownia tomentosa, is colloquially called
cottonwood due to the clusters of persistent cotton boll like seed pods, while
true poplars being called cottonwood is due to the cottony fuzz on the
seed.Eastern
Cottonwood has a range through most of the country.There are several kinds of hybrid poplars,
including both natural crosses and a couple of cultivars that are often seen
being sold for fast growing shade trees and/or windbreaks where the most
notable is Carolina
poplar, P.×canadensis,
which is a hybrid of eastern cottonwood and the exotic Lombardy poplar, P. nigra.One of my favorites is balm-of-Gilead, P.×jackii,
which is a hybrid of eastern cottonwood and balsam poplar, P. balsamifera, because of a related Biblical reference due to an
associated medicinal use. White poplar, P. alba, is an invasive exotic species
that I have seen mistakenly called silver maple.A large white poplar growing next to where we
had a garden was uprooted about 35 years ago and despite cutting down all the
rest there are still some suckers that can be found nearby, because it seems
you get 10 for every one that is cut.The last native species discussed here is swamp cottonwood, P. heterophylla, which is an obligate
wetland species that has an unusual range in Alabama where it is only found near the coast
and in the mountains of the furthest separated counties in the state. The Alabama state co-champion cottonwood trees are respectively 91 and 109 feet tall, have girths of 163 and 139 inches, and average limb spreads of 71 and 81 feet, while swamp cottenwood does not have a current state champion.
