About Populus angustifolia E.James
Populus angustifolia E.James, commonly called narrowleaf cottonwood, is a slender tree that can grow in dense, tightly packed clusters. Its leaves are yellow-green, lanceolate (lance-shaped), and have scalloped margins. It produces catkins in early spring, and its mature fruiting capsules are fluffy and white. This species grows across western North America, ranging from southern Canada down to northern Mexico. In Canada, it only occurs in the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. In the United States, it has a broad distribution across the west, spanning from the Pacific Northwest to the Southwestern United States, and reaching as far east as South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. In Mexico, it is only found in the three states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Sonora. The sticky, gummy buds of this tree were used as a type of chewing gum by local Native American groups, including the Apache and Navajo. Populus angustifolia E.James also acts as the host species for the sugarbeet root aphid, Pemphigus betae.
