| Scientific Name: | Populus trichocarpa |
| Common Name: | black cottonwood, western balsam-poplar |
| Family Name: | Salicaceae |
| Origin: | B.C. east of Cascades, B.C. west of Cascades, U.S. - northwest |
| Hardiness Zone: | Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C) |
| Plant Type: | Tree - deciduous |
| Mature Size: | > 30m x 10 - 15m (height x width) |
| Habit: | Stiffly upright |
| Form: | Oval - vertical, Round |
| Texture: | Medium - coarse |
| Landscape Uses: | Medicinal plant, Reclamation, Wind break |
| Exposure: | Full sun |
| Soil or Media: | Well-drained |
| Leaves: | Simple, Alternate, Leathery, Soft flexible, Glabrous, Lustrous, Lanceolate, Ovate, Crenate, Serrate |
| Flowers: | Catkin (ament), Green, Mar-Apr |
| Fruit: | Capsule, White, Brown, May-Jun |
| 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. | |