Along the rivers on the east coast of Vancouver Island Black Cottonwood (Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa) is now producing seed. In fact, there is so much Cottonwood fluff in the air at times that it seems like it is snowing beside the Courtenay River on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The seeds gather in drifts along the edge of trails and float with the current downstream.
For the Black Cottonwood this is advantageous. The tree favours moist to wet areas and is common on floodplains beside major rivers. Air and water carries the seeds to potential new growing places. The tree is common from Alaska to the mountains of California. There are records of cottonwood as far south as northwest Mexico.
Identifying Features of Cottonwood
The Black Cottonwood is a dramatic tree with rough, gray, furrowed bark, towering up to 50 m high. The leaves are finely toothed and heart-shaped. They are thick and almost leathery in texture. Both male and female flowers form long catkins on separate trees. The peak bloom is early March through to June. The fruits of the cottonwood are round green hairy capsules that split into 3 parts releasing the seeds.
The Latin name balsamifera means “aromatic resin-bearing,” a reference to the sticky buds of the leaves. Trichocarpa refers to the “hairy” fruits or fluffy seeds. The tree is fast growing, gaining over a meter in a year.
Read more about the Black Cottonwood over at Rock Paper Lizard. You can’t miss the fluffy seeds at this time of year and it’s worth giving the tree itself a closer look.
