Plains Cottonwood
231 - 8th Street E.
This Plains Cottonwood Populus deltoides is one of the largest trees in the city. Its diameter is over 5 feet at 4.5 feet above ground level. Native to the flood plain zones of prairie rivers, the Plains Cottonwood extends as far north as the Cumberland Delta. The source of its common name is apparent in early summer when huge amounts of its fluffy, cotton-like seeds cover the ground like snow. This is one of the reasons these trees are no longer planted in the city. They also grow much too large for urban spaces and have far reaching root systems. Cottonwoods are extremely fast growing and often short lived; however some like this specimen can live to be over 100 years of age.
The Cottonwood is a true sentinel of southern Saskatchewan. Solitary trees or groves can be seen from afar. The pioneers were always glad to see these grand sentinels on the vast prairie, as they provided wood and shade to weary travellers. They were planted along fields and on homestead sites to rapidly provide shelter from the wind and sun. Indigenous peoples used the inner bark which contains salicin as an antirheumatic drug, and as a disinfectant and antiseptic. Wildlife find homes in the hollows and cavities of trunks, and deer browse their branches. Beaver appreciate their close vicinity to water and use the young trees as a food source and for dam building.
Alternate location: Natural stands between Meewasin Park picnic site on Spadina Crescent East and the River.