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Populus trichocarpa
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Black Cottonwood
( Populus trichocarpa )
Populus trichocarpa
More Photos at CalPhotos
More Info at Jepson eFlora
Calflora
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18 Nurseries Carry This Plant
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About Black Cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa)
18 Nurseries Carry This Plant
Add to My Plant List
Black Cottonwood (
Populus balsamifera
ssp. trichocarpa) is a native tree that grows in northern, southern and central California. It is fast growing and moderately long-lived. It grows in an upright form to a height of 100 feet, with active growth during the spring and summer. Flowers are yellow and bloom in the mid spring. Leaves are medium green and deciduous. It tends to grow in alluvial bottomplands and streamsides, at elevations from 0-9000 feet. Tough and easy to grow as long as it is in sun, near a water sources and has very good drainage. Black Cottonwood is a great choice to help build a natural irrigation system - its long shallow roots will reach out to the water source and pull underground water molecules through your garden. It needs moist soil until mature, and then becomes moderately drought tolerant.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Tree
Size
30 - 100 ft tall
25 - 30 ft wide
Form
Upright, Upright Columnar
Growth Rate
Fast
Dormancy
Winter Deciduous
Flower Color
Green, Yellow
Flowering Season
Winter, Spring
Wildlife Supported
Great bird and butterfly plant
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 3
confirmed
, 145
likely
* )
SHOW ALL
Lappet Moth
Phyllodesma americana
Phyllodesma americana
Western Tent Caterpillar
Malacosoma californica
Malacosoma californica
Pearsall's Carpet Moth
Venusia pearsalli
Venusia pearsalli
*
Western Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio rutulus
Papilio rutulus
*
Mourning Cloak
Nymphalis antiopa
Nymphalis antiopa
*
Lorquin's Admiral
Limenitis lorquini
Limenitis lorquini
*
Green Comma
Polygonia faunus
Polygonia faunus
Landscaping Information
Sun
Full Sun
Moisture
Moderate - High
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established
Nurseries
Carried by 18
Ease of Care
Very Easy
Soil Drainage
Fast
Soil Description
Well draining
Common uses
Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens
Companion Plants
Golden Currant
(
Ribes aureum
),
Western Columbine
(
Aquilegia formosa
),
Creek Dogwood
(
Cornus sericea
ssp sericea),
White Alder
(
Alnus rhombifolia
)
Propagation
?
For propagating by seed: No treatment. Use fresh seeds, usually viable only a few days. Seeds should not be covered or pressed into medium; seedbed should be kept saturated for first mo. Easily propagated from stem cuttings.
Sunset Zones
?
1, 2*, 3*, 4*, 5*, 6*, 7*, 8, 9, 14, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24*
Natural Setting
Site Type
Alluvial bottomplands, streamsides
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 5.4" - 117.1", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 3.57", Coldest Month: 17.9" - 56.5", Hottest Month: 38.4" - 79.4", Humidity: 0.23" - 28.34", Elevation: -228" - 14460"
Alternative Names
Botanical Names
: Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa,Populus balsamifera
Common Names
: Balsam Poplar
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Black Cottonwood
Populus trichocarpa
Sources include:
Wikipedia
. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the
California Consortia of Herbaria
, Sunset information provided by
Jepson Flora Project
. Propogation from seed information provided by the
Santa Barbara Botanical Garden
from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include
CalPhotos
,
Wikimedia Commons
, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include
Calflora
,
CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online
,
Jepson Flora Project
,
Las Pilitas
,
Theodore Payne
,
Tree of Life
,
The Xerces Society
, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from
PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.
Links:
Jepson eFlora Taxon Page
CalPhotos
Wikipedia
Calflora
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