Rio Grande Cottonwood

Description:

This tree likes the flood plains along the Rio Grande. It is named for the large quantities of cotton that it produces in late spring. Here are the catkins of a tree in early spring releasing pollen.

Habitat:

This specimen was growing between ditches, but most of the trees are on the flat ground directly adjacent to the river. They like to grow where there is a high water table.

Notes:

It appears that the catkins release pollen over a period of time, with the bottom parts dried out but the red top parts still waiting to release pollen in these pictures. I am unsure if this is Populus fremontii or Populus deltoides wislizeni, but it appears to match Populus fremontii better.