Plains Cottonwood

The plains are almost a treeless place, and before the early pioneers worked the land and planted many of their own trees, the plains cottonwood tree was one of the few trees that doted the landscape.

Cottonwood trees have large shiny leaves and can be one of the largest trees in North America despite its harsh dry living conditions. They can grow as high as 100ft tall, with trunks as wide as 5ft in diameter.

Leaves are green and have serrated edges, and form a triangle shape. The bark is a smooth gray-brown that becomes grooved as it ages. 

Cottonwood trees can also be male or female. The female trees produce a fluffy white seed that gives the trees their name, which floats off the tree in a breeze like a summer snow. The male trees produce the pollen, which is the stuff that most people find that they are allergic to.

These trees have a great resilience, and not only do they survive in a place with little water (although you can always find them where there is some water, like a river or lake) they also have resistance against prairie fires. They have thick corky bark, that helps them survive these fires.

In the fall, the cottonwood tree turns a golden yellow.

The cottonwood tree has a remarkable star shaped pith. To see it, all you have to do is get a twig from the tree and break it. If you can get a clean break, you will see a star shaped inside! 

Because of this, the cottonwood tree was valued by the Arapahoe people, believing that the stars came from the earth, and climbed the cottonwood tree to the sky. The star shaped pith is what the stars left behind after their passing. 

SOURCES:

Colorado Tree Coalition

http://www.coloradotrees.org/feature_trees/cottonwood_plains.php

GNPC.Org

http://www.gpnc.org/cottonwood.htm

The Greenway Foundation

http://www.gnwy.org/web/index.php/chompers-chatter/speciesprofiles/beaver-21/