How to Identify Cottonwood by Its Bark

The cottonwood tree is a member of the poplar family of trees. It's native to the eastern United States, though it lives in other regions as well. The tree has several distinguishing characteristics that make it identifiable. The most obvious feature is the the wispy stands of cotton-like fibers that rain down on the surrounding ground. Second to the cotton fibers is the distinctive bark, the thickest known tree bark in North America, which allows the trees to survive forest fires.

Instructions

1. Examine the coloring of the tree bark, which can be either a pale white, light gray or yellowish white on young cottonwood trees. As the cottonwood ages, the bark turns a dark grayish brown color on both the trunk and the branches..

2. Feel the surface of the tree trunk with your hand. On young cottonwood trees, the surface of the bark is very smooth, while on older trees the bark is very rough to the touch.

3. Look for deep lines running through the bark in a vertical pattern. The lines do not extend all the way down the cottonwood trunk, however, if you stand back and look at the trunk from at least a few feet back, you'll see an overall vertical pattern. The cottonwood's indented lines are very deep and the sections in between the vertical intentions are slightly rounded.

Tips & Warnings

• Cottonwood trees only grow in moist soil, so look near ponds, lakes, rivers and even in or around drainage ditches.

References

• Kansas State Historical Society: Cottonwood Tree
• Northern County Morels: Identifying Trees in Spring
• ODNR Division of Forestry: Eastern Cottonwood
• The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority's : Poplars