Eastern Cottonwood

Populus deltoides

Pollinator Value

🔑 Keystone: Genus Populus supports 352 species of butterflies and moths as larval hosts in eastern North America. Eastern cottonwood is a critical component of riparian corridors, providing nesting sites for Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Red-headed Woodpecker, and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Its loose bark and cavities serve as summer roosting habitat for at least nine bat species including Little Brown Bat and Northern Long-eared Bat.
S13 S10
🐛 Larval Host: Agriopodes fallax, Furcula scolopendrina, Polygonia interrogationis, Furcula borealis, Polygonia faunus, Limenitis archippus, Nymphalis antiopa, Paonias myops, Orgyia definita, Sphinx kalmiae, Limenitis arthemis, Xanthotype sospeta, Papilio glaucus, Acronicta funeralis, Callosamia promethea
S13+S15 15 verified Eastern NA
❄️ Winter Food Source: Buds consumed by Evening Grosbeak, Purple Finch, and Ruffed Grouse through winter. Ruffed Grouse also feed on catkins. White-winged Crossbill takes seeds. Sharp-tailed Grouse consume buds and catkins. Persistent bud resources and bark provide forage for American Beaver, North American Porcupine, and Meadow Vole.
S57 S10

Proximity Score: 0
Native Status: ✅ Outaouais ✅ Ottawa ✅ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: Local
CEC Eco-Regions: 5 – Northern Forests, 5.2 – Mixed Wood Shield, 5.2.3 – Algonquin/Southern Laurentians
Rarity Notes: Globally secure (G5) and nationally secure in both Canada (N5) and the United States (N5). Not listed under SARA. Ranked S5 in Ontario but SNR (Not Ranked) in Quebec. Despite the lack of formal Quebec ranking, the species is well-documented as common in the Ottawa-Gatineau region with 20 herbarium specimens from Quebec.
S22 S26 S63 S54
Rarity Ranks: QC SNR – Not Ranked, ON S5 – Secure
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: Eastern cottonwood is a fast-growing pioneer of floodplains and riparian corridors along the Ottawa River and its tributaries. It colonizes fresh alluvial deposits and sandbars, forming pure stands or mixing with black willow on newly exposed silt. In the Outaouais region it is common on stream banks and rich bottomlands, providing structural habitat for cavity-nesting birds and roosting bats in mature specimens.
S41 S10 S63 S4

Roles: Fire Retardant, Fortress/Barrier
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fire Retardant: S73 [MEDIUM]: S11 Fire Tolerance = Medium (not definitional)] | Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match: thorns? (supporting signal only)]
Notes: Eastern cottonwood functions as a pioneer nurse tree, growing rapidly to provide shelter and improved microclimate for slower-establishing woodland species. An extract of its shoots serves as a rooting hormone for all types of cuttings. Caution: roots are extremely aggressive and invasive, capable of damaging drainage systems and building foundations within 12 m. Not suitable for planting near structures, sewers, or water pipes. Best used as a canopy nurse in large-scale restoration or riparian guild plantings.
S29 S10 S41

Category: Anodyne, Anti-inflammatory, Febrifuge, Anthelmintic, Antiscorbutic, Dermatological aid, Tonic
S29 S28 multiple Indigenous traditions
Notes: Bark contains salicin, a glycoside that decomposes into salicylic acid (aspirin) in the body, making it anodyne, anti-inflammatory, and febrifuge. Used especially for rheumatism, fevers, and menstrual cramps. Iroquois used decoction of bark for intestinal worms. Flathead ate bark for colds and applied leaf poultice for bruises, sores, and boils. Kutenai used bark infusion for whooping cough and tuberculosis. Delaware combined bark with black haw and wild plum bark as a female tonic.
S29 S28

✅ Edible

Foraging Notes: Inner bark and sap used for food by Blackfoot, Flathead, Cheyenne, and Kutenai peoples. Inner bark scraped and eaten in spring; bark and twigs fed to horses in winter. Seeds, buds, and leaves are technically edible but impractical. Leaves are protein-rich with greater amino-acid content than wheat, corn, rice, and barley. Edibility rating 2/5.
S28 S29