Leaves thin, glabrous, broadly ovate, gradually narrowed, long-pointed and acuminate at apex, truncate at base, coarsely crenately serrate below the middle, entire above, 3′—3¼′ long and 2¼′—2½′ wide; petioles slender, compressed, 1½′—2½′ in length. Flowers not seen. Fruit: aments slender, glabrous, 2½′—3′ long; fruit oblong-ovoid, acute, deeply pitted, glabrous, thin-walled, 3-valved, ⅓′ in length; disk slightly lobed; pedicel slender, 1/16′—⅛′ in length; seeds ovoid, acuminate, 1/16′ long.
A tree up to 60° high, with a trunk sometimes 3° in diameter, stout more or less pendulous branches and stout glabrous pale yellow-brown branchlets. Winter-buds acuminate, glabrous.
In cañons and along the streams of northwestern Texas, where it appears to be the only Cottonwood.
Leaves broadly ovate, abruptly short-pointed or acute at apex, broadly or acutely cuneate or truncate, or on vigorous shoots rarely slightly cordate at base, finely or often coarsely crenately serrate, bluish green, thin, pubescent on the under sides of the midrib and primary veins early in the season, otherwise glabrous, 1½′—3′ long and broad, with slender midribs and veins; petioles slender, slightly compressed, pubescent early in the season, becoming glabrous, 1½′—2′ in length. Flowers not seen. Fruit: aments glabrous, short-stalked, 2′—2½′ long; fruit ovoid and acute at apex to ellipsoidal and acute or acuminate at ends, glabrous, slightly pitted, thin-walled, 3-valved, 5/12′—½′ long; disk not more than ⅛′ in diameter; pedicels glabrous, ⅛′—⅕′ in length; seeds oblong-ovoid, acuminate, ⅛′ long.
A tree rarely 90°—110° high, usually much smaller, with erect branches and slender branchlets pubescent or puberulous when they first appear, sometimes becoming glabrous during their first season, and sometimes pubescent during two years.
Distribution. Banks of streams and springs, San Bernardino County, California (Cottonwood Springs, Meca, etc.), and eastward to the bottoms of the Colorado River from Clark County, Nevada, to Yuma, Arizona, and probably the only Cottonwood in this arid region.
Often planted as a street tree in the towns of southwestern California and of adjacent Nevada and Arizona.
Leaves broadly deltoid, abruptly short- or long-pointed at apex, truncate or sometimes cordate at the broad entire base, coarsely and irregularly crenately serrate except toward the entire apex, coriaceous, glabrous, yellow-green and lustrous, 2′—2½′ long, usually about 3′ wide, with a slender yellow midrib, thin remote primary veins and conspicuous reticulate veinlets; petioles slender, glabrous, 1½′—2′ long; on vigorous shoots often 3½′—4′ long and wide with petioles 3½′—4′ in length. Flowers: aments 2′—4′ long, the pistillate becoming 4′—5′ long before the fruit ripens; scales scarious, light red, divided at the apex into elongated filiform lobes; disk of the staminate flower broad and oblique; stamens numerous, with large oblong anthers and short filaments; disk of the pistillate flower cup-shaped, irregularly dentate, inclosing to the middle the long stalked ovary full and rounded at apex, with 3 broad crenulate lobed stigmas raised on the short branches of the style. Fruit oblong-ovoid, thick-walled, acute, 3 or 4-valved, slightly ridged, buff color, ¼′ long; pedicels slender, ½′—¾′ in length and placed rather remotely on the slender glabrous rachis of the ament.