Scientific Name:
Populus trichocarpa
Pronunciation:
pop-YOU-lus try-ko-KAR-puh
Common Name:
black cottonwood, western balsam-poplar
Family Name:
Salicaceae
Plant Type:
Tree - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Leaves alternate, broadly ovate, most blades 7-12(-18)cm long x 3-8cm wide, margin wavy and serrate-crenate, underside silvery with brown spots (resin blotches), base usually rounded or less commonly cordate, most petioles 1-5cm long; male catkins 2-4cm long, female catkins 6-8cm long; capsules 6-9mm long, many in pendulous rows 12-20cm long, seeds ~2mm long with cottony plumes for wind dispersal. Winter ID: buds 1.5-2cm long lanceolate, long-pointed with 6-7 outer scales, green and brown, often sticky, sweetly aromatic when crushed; leaf scar oval.
Habit:
Stiffly upright
Form:
Oval - vertical, Round
Texture:
Medium - coarse
Mature Height:
> 30m
Mature Spread:
10 - 15m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
B.C. east of Cascades, B.C. west of Cascades, U.S. - northwest
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate, Low
Landscape Uses:
Medicinal plant, Reclamation, Wind break
Additional Info:
Google (syn. P. balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa). Compare to P. balsamifera.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Leathery, Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Lustrous
Colour in Fall:
Yellow
Shapes:
Lanceolate, Ovate
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Obtuse
Margins:
Crenate, Serrate
Additional Info:
Pleasant spring scent
Inflorescence Type:
Catkin (ament)
Flower Morphology:
Dioecious plant
Number Of Petals:
0
Colour (petals):
Not showy, Green
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Mar, Apr
Fruit Type:
Capsule
Fruit Colour:
White, Brown
Fruiting Time:
May, Jun
Additional Info:
Not showy
Bark Morphology:
Moderately fissured, Single stem trunk
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey
Leaf Bud Type:
(Distinctive smell)
Organ Modifications:
Ectomycorrhizae, Root suckers
Propagation:
Seed, Division - below ground parts
Pest Susceptibility:
Beetles or weevils, Blight or needle cast, Caterpillar or cutworm, Crown rot, Dieback, Fungal leaf spot, Leaf miner insect, Root rot, Rust, Scale insects
Course(s):
- AARB 1012
- HORT 1155
- Level 4 Apprenticeship
Location(s):
- (FSC) Far South Campus : confirm ID - young tree
- (JPL) Juglans PLanting : 137
- (WLG) WoodLand Garden