Identifying Characteristics
| Size/Form: | Eastern cottonwood is a medium-sized tree that reaches heights of 50’to 100’ in height. |
| Leaves: | Leaves are simple, alternate, and deciduous. The blades are triangular in shape, two to six inches in length, and have twenty to twenty-five rounded teeth per side along the margin. Underside is smooth and a pale green. The petiole is distinctively flattened, making the leaf flap from side to side rather than up and down. |
| Twigs: | The yellowish twigs are stout and contain a bitter aspirin taste. |
| Bark: | Light gray-brown and smooth with shallow grooves on young trees. Mature trees have deep grooves with thick ridges and are light brown to ash-gray in color. |
| Flowers: | This is a dioecious tree species. Both male and female flowers are pendulous catkins. |
| Fruit: | Conical capsule 5 to 9 inches in length borne on pendent stalks, 8 to 12 inches long. |
Similar Trees on the Florida 4-H Forest Ecology Contest List:
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