Fremont Cottonwood
Scientific Name:
Populus fremontii
Type:
Tree
Habitat:
Riparian
Range:
American Southwest and Mexico
Status:
No listed status
This species is
NATIVE
to the Truckee Meadows.
Identification:
Fremont cottonwoods have seeds that resemble cotton puffs; the seeds are from where cottonwoods get their name. Cottonwood seeds resemble fallen snow when released. Fremont cottonwood leaves are heart-shaped or triangular with rounded teeth along the edges. These trees can grow between 70 and 90 feet tall.
Fast Facts:
The bark and leaves of Fremont cottonwoods were used as a poultice (crushed up and applied to skin) to relieve swelling, cuts, and even headaches by many indigenous people groups.
Fremont cottonwoods are named after John C. Fremont who first recorded this tree in 1844 with Kit Carson while near Pyramid Lake.
The inner bark of the Fremont Cottonwood is edible to horses.
Cottonwoods have soft bark which make them attractive habitats for wildlife; however, they can break easily in storms which is a hazard in many park areas.
Fremont recognized that the sight of cottonwoods marked the locations of water and saw cottonwoods as a valuable resource for fodder (livestock food), fuel, and shade.
Fremont Cottonwoods, like Black Cottonwoods, are very important to wildlife providing shelter and homes in the riparian area along the river, and also aid in preventing erosion.
In the Paiute language, cottonwoods are called Sungabe.
Sources:
Truckee River Guide, Fremont Cottonwood, 2021, https://truckeeriverguide.org/species/fremont-cottonwood/
Ronald M. Lanner, Trees of the Great Basin, 1984 book.
U.S. Forest Service, Populus fremontii, 2021, https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/popfre/all.html
National Wildlife Service, Fremont Cottonwood, 2021, https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Plants-and-Fungi/Fremont-Cottonwood
Pyramid Lake, The Paiute Language, 2021, http://www.numuinc.com/home/the-tribe/the-paiute-language/
Image: Katja Schulz, https://flickr.com/photos/86548370@N00/25308579250, license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/, cropped from original.
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Haley McGuire (research & content)
Alex Shahbazi (edits & page design)