Cottonwood Tree
by Jon Burch Photography
Title
Cottonwood Tree
Artist
Jon Burch Photography
Medium
Photograph - Digital Capture & Digital Enhancement
Description
Cottonwoods trees belong to the section Aigeiros which are part of three species in the genus Populus, the poplars. The species are native to North America, Europe, and western Asia. In the past, as many as six species were recognized, but recent trends have been to accept just three, treating the others as subspecies only.
They are large, deciduous trees that are 50–80 feet tall, distinguished by thick, deeply fissured bark and triangular-based to diamond-shaped leaves that are green on both sides, without the whitish wax on the undersides, and without any obvious balsam scent in spring. An important feature of the leaves is the petiole, which is flattened sideways so that the leaves have a particular type of movement in the wind.
Male and female flowers are in separate catkins, appearing before the leaves in spring. The seeds are borne on cottony structures that allow them to be blown long distances in the air before settling to ground.
The cottonwoods are exceptionally tolerant of flooding, erosion, and flood deposits filling around the trunk. Although each of the three cottonwood species has a different leaf pattern, they all have the same general diamond leaf shape.
Fremont's cottonwood is native to the southwestern United States and western Mexico. In the United States, the species can be found in California, Nevada, Utah. Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Colorado. In Mexico, it can be found in the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora , Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Mexico State, and Puebla. It differs from the eastern cottonwood mainly in the leaves having fewer, larger serrations on the edge, and small differences in the flower and seed pod structure.
Cottonwoods are widely grown for timber production along wet river banks, where their exceptional growth rate provides a large crop of wood within just 10–30 years. The wood is coarse and of fairly low value, used for pallet boxes, shipping crates, and similar purposes where a cheap but strong enough wood is suitable. They are also widely grown as screens and shelterbelts. Many of the cottonwoods grown commercially are the hybrid of eastern cottonwood and black poplar.
Cottonwood bark is often a favorite medium for artisans. The bark, which is usually harvested in the fall after a tree's death, is generally very soft and easy to carve. Cottonwood is one of the poorest wood fuels; it does not dry well, and rots quickly. It splits poorly, because it is very fibrous. It produces a low level of energy per unit of volume of wood.
This cottonwood tree in northern Colorado is over 110 years old and is the home of several Great Horned Owls and other critters. It has since been cut down due to it's age and condition. The interior was decayed and decaying branches posed a danger.
Some digital effects were applied to the original image after the photograph was made. No electrons were harmed during the transition. Ordered images will not contain the FAA watermark
Image copyright 2018 Jon Burch Photography
Uploaded
May 21st, 2018
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