Cold hardiness

Future

2050

2100

These values are location-based: this location's current hardiness is the baseline, and the 2050 value is a projected future climate for this same location.

Now

Zone 6b

USDA

Published baseline for this location from 1991-2020.

Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer

Well-suited

2050

Zone 7a

Plotwright

Projected zone for this same location in 2050 (2041-2070) using SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry).

Well-suited

In plain terms: This location is in Zone 6b today. Its hardiness profile is cold winters, and coldest nights are typically around -3°F. By 2050, the projected hardiness zone is Zone 7a based on SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry). That is a +0.5-zone shift from Zone 6b to Zone 7a by 2050.

✓

Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.

Heat tolerance

Future

2050

2100

Heat tolerance values are location-based too: heat days today are observed at this site, and the 2050 value projects this same location under a future climate.

Loading AHS heat-zone data for this location...

Where this plant fits

Suitable across 41 ecoregions — 40 climate-resilient through 2070 · 1 suited today. Best matches first.

Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests

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Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests

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Arizona Mountains forests

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Atlantic coastal pine barrens

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Blue Mountains forests

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Canadian Aspen forests and parklands

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Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests

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Central Tallgrass prairie

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Central-Southern Cascades Forests

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Chilean Matorral

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What it needs

Conditions

Light

Full sun

Water

Consistent moisture

Spacing

480"

Habit

Large fast-growing deciduous native bottomland tree with a broad open-rounded crown

Care tips

•

Give it a wide, wet, rural site — full sun and moist bottomland soil are where this tree excels.

•

Keep it far from pavement, foundations, and sewer lines; the aggressive roots buckle sidewalks and invade pipes.

•

Choose a male (cottonless) cultivar if seed fluff would be a nuisance, and expect storm litter from the weak, brittle wood.

Lifecycle

Planting

Plant in full sun in average, medium-to-wet, well-drained soil; it prefers consistently moist soils but tolerates drought once established (Missouri Botanical Garden). Site it well away from sidewalks, foundations, and sewer lines — the roots can buckle pavement and invade pipes. Choose a male (cottonless) cultivar to avoid the seed fluff.

Transplanting

Move only when young and dormant; large trees rarely transplant cleanly. Preserve as much root as the size allows.

Early growth

Water deeply through the first 2-3 seasons while the wide root system establishes; growth is very fast on moist ground. Mulch a wide ring without burying the trunk flare.

Maturity

Allow decades for full 50-80 foot height and broad open crown. The wood is weak and brittle, so expect storm breakage and litter; keep it away from targets. Each tree develops an extensive root system but, unlike aspens, does not sucker into clones (Missouri Botanical Garden).

Propagation

Twigs that stick in moist ground readily sprout roots (Missouri Botanical Garden); hardwood and softwood cuttings root easily, and named cottonless male cultivars are propagated vegetatively. Wild trees also seed freely.

Pollination

Dioecious — needs male pollinizer

Dioecious and wind-pollinated: separate male and female trees bear catkins in early spring (red male, green female per Missouri Botanical Garden) before the leaves, and pollen travels on the wind rather than feeding bees or butterflies. Female trees release the cottony, wind-borne seed fluff; planting a male (cottonless) cultivar avoids it.

Plants don't grow alone

Larval host

Moth

Io moth (Automeris io)

Populus (cottonwood/poplar) is a documented Io moth host per UF/IFAS, with eastern cottonwood named; genus-level inference.

Larval host

Butterfly

Mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)

Larval host

Butterfly

Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)

Larval host

Butterfly

Red-spotted purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax)

Larval host

Moth

Polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus)

Larval host

Butterfly

Eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center lists eastern cottonwood as a larval host for Tiger Swallowtail (along with Mourning Cloak, Red-spotted Purple, and Viceroy) — poplars and cottonwoods are well-known caterpillar host trees.

Seed forage

Bird

Eastern songbirds (multi-species) (multiple species (Passeriformes))

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents the seeds as forage for granivorous birds and the tree as a source of nesting material and browse; LBJ flags it as attracting birds.

Shelter / habitat

Bird

Eastern phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)

Habitat structure, not food. Riparian cottonwoods provide the low perches this flycatcher sallies from near water (Audubon, ADW); genus/habitat-level inference.

Shelter / habitat

Bird

Black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

Shelter / habitat

Bird

Downy woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)

For people

Not eaten by humans

A fast-growing timber, pulpwood, shelterbelt, and streambank-stabilization tree rather than a food crop. Grown for shade and erosion control in rural lowspots; not a human food plant.

Native range

Native across 44 US states + 6 CA provinces.

AHS heat range

1-12

Native ecoregions

Naturally belongs in 33 ecoregions — its native range crosses a state or province each one spans (not necessarily this exact habitat).

Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests

›

Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests

›

Arizona Mountains forests

›

Atlantic coastal pine barrens

›

Canadian Aspen forests and parklands

›

Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests

›

Central Tallgrass prairie

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Chihuahuan desert

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Colorado Rockies forests

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Cross-Timbers savanna-woodland

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Climate notes

•

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder lists Populus deltoides for USDA zones 2 to 9 in full sun with medium-to-wet water, height 50-80 feet, spread 35-60 feet, blooming March to April with insignificant red (male) and green (female) flowers, and notes it tolerates drought and urban conditions.

•

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents it as native across the lower 48 US states and Canada, naturally occurring on stream banks and rich bottomlands from southwestern Quebec, central Michigan, North Dakota, and southwestern Alberta south to northwestern Florida and central Texas.

•

Missouri Botanical Garden cautions that it is generally considered inappropriate for ornamental use and a particularly poor selection for urban areas — messy, weak-wooded, with roots that can buckle sidewalks and damage sewer lines — but it can be effectively grown in rural lowspots or along streams where other large trees may not flourish.

In the designer

Growth over time

120-192" tall · 76-130" spread

Reads as a young shade tree; full mature height + canopy take decades.

Design roles: Structure · Focal point

Seasonal interest

Spring

Summer

Fall

Winter

Filled = the plant has seasonal interest · ▾ now = your current season

Eastern cottonwood

At a glance

Related products

Why it matters

Cold hardiness

Heat tolerance

Where this plant fits

What it needs

Lifecycle

Pollination

Plants don't grow alone

For people

Native range

Climate notes

In the designer

Seasonal interest

Sources & citations