Leaf guide › Aspens & poplars
Eastern cottonwood
Populus deltoides
The ribbons of gold that trace rivers and creeks across the Plains.
Updated
- Fall color
- Yellow
- Turns
- Mid-season
- Leaves
- Alternate (one per spot)
- Size
- 3–6 in. long
- Found in
- Great Plains, Midwest, Rockies, Southwest
How to recognize it
- Triangular leaf with a flat base and a long tapering tip.
- Coarse, curved teeth along the edge.
- Long, flattened leaf stem makes the leaves rattle in wind.
- Big trees with deeply furrowed gray bark, usually near water.
Easy to confuse with
Quaking aspen
Smaller, rounder leaf with fine teeth.
Western cottonwoods
Narrowleaf, Fremont, and black cottonwood fill the same role in the West and turn the same gold.
Worth knowing
Its name comes from the cottony seed fluff it releases in early summer. It’s the state tree of Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming.
Common questions
What color does eastern cottonwood turn in fall?
Eastern cottonwood turns yellow in fall. The ribbons of gold that trace rivers and creeks across the Plains.
When does eastern cottonwood change color?
It usually colors in the middle of the local season, close to overall peak.
How can you tell eastern cottonwood from quaking aspen?
Quaking aspen: Smaller, rounder leaf with fine teeth. Eastern cottonwood: Triangular leaf with a flat base and a long tapering tip.
Where does eastern cottonwood grow?
In the lower 48, look for it in Great Plains, Midwest, Rockies, Southwest.
See where the color is peaking today.
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