American Elm
Ulmus americana Large tree Zones 2–9 60–80 ft
Shares stream banks and floodplain forests in the wild.
A native we do not grow
Fremont Cottonwood
Populus fremontii. Large tree, 40 to 80 feet where planted, zones 3 to 9; full sun; average or wet ground.
We do not grow Fremont cottonwood, and it is not in our shop. This page gathers what our tools say about it and the natives we grow for the same ground.
At a glance
| Other names | Arizona cottonwood, Alamo cottonwood, western cottonwood, Gila cottonwood, Macdougal cottonwood |
|---|---|
| Form | Large tree |
| Height, feet | 40 to 80 where planted; up to 115 in its native stands |
| Spread, feet | Up to 50 |
| Zones | 3 to 9 |
| Sun | Full sun |
| Soil moisture | Average or wet ground |
| Growth | Fast |
| Leaves | Deciduous |
| Traits | Fall color, wildlife value, erosion control |
| Flowers | February to May |
| Fruit | Capsules, February to June |
| First crop | 5 to 10 years |
| Pollination | Separate male and female trees. Fremont cottonwoods are male or female trees, so a female bears seed only with a male nearby. The wind carries the pollen. |
| Lifespan | Can live 130 years or more, and the oldest dated one was at least 124. Only a tiny share of trees has ever been ring-counted or cross-dated. |
| Planting season | Fall. The NRCS plant guide sets dormant poles, rootless saplings, out from November to February. |
| Black walnut | Not named on the Morton Arboretum's lists |
| Ground | Stream banks and floodplain forests |
| Native in | 7 states |
Fremont cottonwood is native in 7 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Utah. The states are the USDA PLANTS Database's records, with the native range read from the Fire Effects Information System, the NRCS plant guide, the Wildflower Center and the Woody Plant Seed Manual.
What our tools say
How fast it grows and how big it gets, by site Whether it suits your zone, sun and soil How far from a house, wires and a septic field What grows with it in the wild and in a yard When to plant it where you live When it flowers and fruits, month by month How to sow its seed, with dates for your place How many to plant for a crop of seed Whether one you have can be moved, and what the move takes How old one is, from its trunk How a big one scores against the champion trees
For the same ground, we grow
These trees we grow share the most of Fremont cottonwood's natural communities in the wild, by the companion species tool's rules.
Bitternut Hickory
Carya cordiformis Large tree Zones 4–9 50–80 ft
Shares stream banks and floodplain forests in the wild.
Nuttall Oak
Quercus texana Large tree Zones 5–9 50–80 ft
Shares stream banks and floodplain forests in the wild.
Durand Oak
Quercus sinuata Large tree Zones 5–9 50–75 ft
Shares stream banks and floodplain forests in the wild.
Sugarberry
Celtis laevigata Large tree Zones 5–10 50–80 ft
Shares stream banks and floodplain forests in the wild.
Willow Oak
Quercus phellos Large tree Zones 5–9 40–75 ft
Shares stream banks and floodplain forests in the wild.
Read from
Its figures come from the Forest Service's Fire Effects Information System, the Woody Plant Seed Manual, the USDA PLANTS Database, Oregon State University's Landscape Plants, Cal Poly's SelecTree, the Wildflower Center, Calscape, the Jepson eFlora and the International Tree-Ring Data Bank.