10. Important member
Populus triclocarpa
Black cottonwood
Leaf: Alternate, 3-6" long, variable shape
Bark: smooth and grayish on younger trees, becoming
gray brown and furrowed on older trees.
Reproductive Features:• Dioecious, male and female
flowers in catkins. Fruit is capsule. Seeds are
wind/water dispersed.
11. Populus deltoides
eastern cottonwood
Populus deltoides
eastern cottonwood
•Sight ID characteristics
•Leaf : Alternate, 3-7" long ovate
•Bark : smooth and yellowish on young trees,
but becoming gray and furrowed on older trees.
•Reproductive Features: Dioecious, male and
female flowers in catkin. Fruit is a capsule with
many comose seeds.
12. Other members
•Populus alba (silver poplar, white poplar)
•Salix alba(white willow, golden willow,
weeping willow)
•Salix exigua(coyote willow, sandbar willow)
•Salix scouleriana(Scouler willow)
13. Summary
• The Salicaceae, are dioecious to hermaphroditic
trees or shrubs with simple, usually spiral, stipulate
leaves, often with salicoid teeth, flowers are often
small, perianth variable, sometimes one or both
whorls absent, stamens 2–∞, ovaries with parietal to
basal placentation, the fruit usually a capsule, berry,
or drupe.
• K 0–8 C 0–8 A 2–∞ G 2–∞, superior.
14. Economicimportance
• Timber trees
• Fruit trees
• Ornamental cultivars
• The bark of willows (Salix) was the original source of salicin, the chemical
modification of which is aspirin (acetyl-salicylic acid).
• Wood used as fuel, timber, in bat making, boat construction, plywood,
tables, and other furniture. Foliage is used as fodder.
• S. fragilis : Leaves are boiled in water, with which the feet, legs and arms
are washed to relieve tiredness and high blood pressure. Bark extract used
to treat dandruff. Also used to relieve headache by taking decoction of its
leaves boiled in water for 20 minutes.
15. Economicimportance
•The willows play an important role in preventing
soil erosion, e. g. S. alba, S. denticulate.
•For construction of houses. Fiber obtained from
stem used in paper making.
•It is also used for making artificial limbs, in match
industry, for making charcoal, bows, arrows, tool
handles, combs, toothpicks, agriculture tool
handles, match boxes, in wooden-shoe making,
sports goods.
