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| Frémont's cottonwood | |
|---|---|
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| Frémont's Cottonwood at Zion Lodge, Zion National Park, Utah | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Salicaceae |
| Genus: | Populus |
| Section: | Populus sect. Aigeiros |
| Species: | P. fremontii
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| Binomial name | |
| Populus fremontii | |
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| Natural range of P. fremontii | |
Populus fremontii, commonly known as Frémont's cottonwood,[1] is a cottonwood native to riparian zones of the Southwestern United States and northern through central Mexico.[2] It is one of three species in Populus sect. Aigeiros. The tree was named after 19th-century American explorer and pathfinder John C. Frémont.
Description
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P. fremontii is a large tree growing from 12–35 m (39–115 ft) in height with a wide crown, with a trunk up to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) in diameter. The bark is smooth when young, becoming deeply fissured with whitish, cracked bark on old trees.
The 3–7 cm (1.2–2.8 in) long leaves, are cordate (heart-shaped) with an elongated tip, with white veins and coarse crenate teeth along the sides, glabrous to hairy, and often stained with milky resin.[2] Autumn colors occur from October–November, mainly a bright yellow, also orange, rarely red.[2][3]
The inflorescence consists of a long, drooping catkin, which blooms from March to April. The fruit is a wind-dispersed achene, that appears to look like patches of cotton hanging from limbs, thus the name cottonwood.
The largest known P. fremontii tree in the United States grows in Skull Valley, Arizona. In 2012, it had a measured circumference of 557 in (14,100 mm), height of 102 ft (31 m), and a spread of 149.5 ft (45.6 m).[4]
Subspecies or varieties
[edit]Two subspecies are currently recognized. Some confusion due to hybridization with a Rio Grande subspecies of Populus deltoides subsp. wislizeni had originally placed this eastern cottonwood subspecies as a P. fremontii subspecies, but it was removed in 1977.[5]
- P. f. subsp. fremontii, with synonyms P. f. var. arizonica - Sarg. and P. f. var. macdougalii - (Rose) Jeps. from California and west of the Continental Divide[5]
- P. f. subsp. mesetae - Eckenwal., of arid areas of Mexico and west Texas, and widely planted elsewhere, generally east of the Continental Divide[5]
Distribution
[edit]The tree is native to the Southwestern United States and Mexico.[6] In the northwestern US it is only found in the state of Idaho,[7] but it is widespread in every state of the southwestern United States including California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona.[8] It is also native to a few locations in western Colorado as well as disjunct parts of New Mexico and far western Texas.[9][8]
In northwestern Mexico it is native to the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, and Sonora. In the northeast it is found in Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, and Nuevo León and in just Mexico State and Puebla in central Mexico.[10]
A riparian tree, it grows near streams, rivers, springs, seeps, wetlands, and well-watered alluvial bottomlands at elevations below 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) elevation.[2][11]
Uses
[edit]Cultivation
[edit]P. fremontii is cultivated as an ornamental tree and riparian zone restoration tree. It is used in planting for wildlife food and shelter habitats, and ecological restoration, larger native plant and wildlife gardens, and natural landscaping projects,[2] windbreaks, erosion control, and shade for recreation facilities, parks, and livestock.
Frémont's cottonwood was used in the past by settlers and ranchers for fuel and fence posts.
Native Americans
[edit]- Traditional medicine
Native Americans in the Western United States and Mexico traditionally use parts of Frémont's cottonwood variously for a medicine, in basket weaving, for tool making, and for musical instruments. The inner bark of Frémont's cottonwood contains vitamin C and was chewed as an antiscorbutic - treatment for vitamin C deficiency. The bark and leaves could be used to make poultices to reduce inflammation or to treat wounds.
- Art
The Akimel Oʼodham of southern Arizona and northern Mexico live along Sonoran Desert watercourses and traditionally used twigs from the tree in the fine and intricate baskets they wove. The Cahuilla people of southern California used the tree's wood for tool making, the Pueblo peoples for drums, and the Lower Colorado River Quechan people in ritual cremations.[12] The Hopi of Northeastern Arizona carve the root of the cottonwood to create kachina dolls.[13]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Van Buren, Renée; Cooper, Janet G.; Shultz, Leila M.; Harper, Kimball T. (2011). Woody Plants of Utah: A Field Guide with Identification Keys to Native and Naturalized Trees, Shrubs, Cacti, and Vines. Logan, Utah, United States: Utah State University Press. p. 412. ISBN 978-0-87421-824-4.
- ^ a b c d e "Populus fremontii subsp. fremontii". Jepson Manual. University of California Press. 1993.
- ^ "Range Plants of Utah". Utah State University. Archived from the original on 2017-01-18. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
- ^ "Populus fremontii ssp. fremontii". American Forests. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- ^ a b c Eckenwalder, J.E. (1977). "North American cottonwoods (Populus, Salicaceae) of sections Abaso and Aigeiros". Journal of the Arnold Arboretum. 58 (3): 193–208. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.29239.
- ^ "Populus fremontii (Fremont cottonwood)". Calflora Database.
- ^ POWO (2026). "Populus fremontii S.Watson". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- ^ a b NRCS (2026). "Populus fremontii". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- ^ Ackerfield, Jennifer (2022). Flora of Colorado (Second ed.). Fort Worth, Texas: Botanical Research Institute of Texas Press. p. 780. ISBN 978-1-889878-89-8. OCLC 1350496037.
- ^ Hassler, Michael. "Populus fremontii in Synonymic Checklist and Distribution of the World Flora". World Plants. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- ^ "USDA Plant Fact Sheet" (PDF). United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved February 5, 2002.
- ^ "Digital Desert: Mojave Desert". MojaveDesert.net. n.d.
- ^ Padgett, Kenneth. "Kachina Dolls". Guide to Hopi Kachina (katsina) Dolls. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
External links
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