Return to Native Trees of the Southern Rocky Mountains

Black cottonwood grows near the exteme northwestern border of Wyoming, in stream valleys, below 7000 feet in elevation. This tree is very similar to the Balsam poplar, the only notable difference being the leaves of the Black cottonwood which are often whitish or silvery-white on the underside while the leaves of Balsam poplar are merely pale green beneath. The two trees can make hybrids. The scientific name is Populus trichocarpa