Flora of North America species comparison

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Populus fremontii subsp. mesetae

Populus fremontii subsp. fremontii
Photo is of parent taxon

plateau cottonwood, álamo cimarron
Photo is of parent taxon

cottonwood, Fremont cottonwood
Habit Plants to 20 m. Branchlets, leaf blades, and petioles usually densely hairy, hairs (soft) yellowish. Plants to 30 m. Branchlets, leaf blades, and petioles glabrous or glabrate to densely hairy, hairs whitish.
Capsules

5–8(–10) mm.

(6–)7.5–11 mm.
Neoformed

leaves: blade rhombic-ovate, longer than wide, base cuneate or truncate, apex long-acuminate.

leaves: blade broadly triangular-ovate, usually about as wide as long, rarely wider, base truncate or cordate, apex short-acuminate.

Populus fremontii subsp. mesetae

Populus fremontii subsp. fremontii
Phenology Flowering Feb–Apr; fruiting Apr–Jun. Flowering Feb–May; fruiting Mar–Jun.
Habitat Stream banks, canyons, seeps, springs, pools, moist soils Floodplains, canyons, springs, other moist places
Elevation 800-2400 m (2600-7900 ft) (-60-)0-1500 (-2200) m ((-200-)0-4900 (-7200) ft)
Distribution
from FNA
TX; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Mexico, Nuevo León, Puebla)
from FNA
AZ; CA; ID; NM; NV; UT; Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora)
Discussion

Subspecies mesetae forms groves and local patches along major streams, otherwise primarily in arroyos and canyons in foothills, and also is commonly planted near ranches and in towns. It intergrades with subsp. fremontii along a line from southeastern Arizona south along the boundary between Chihuahua and Sonora.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Subspecies fremontii is the common cottonwood of southwestern North America west of the Continental Divide. It intergrades with subsp. mesetae along a line from southeastern Arizona south along the border between Chihuahua and Sonora.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 20. FNA vol. 7, p. 20.
Parent taxa Salicaceae > Populus > Populus fremontii Salicaceae > Populus > Populus fremontii
Sibling taxa
P. fremontii subsp. fremontii
P. fremontii subsp. mesetae
Synonyms P. deltoides var. mesetae P. arizonica, P. fremontii var. arizonica, P. fremontii var. macdougalii, P. fremontii var. pubescens, P. fremontii var. thornberi, P. fremontii var. toumeyi, P. macdougalii
Name authority Eckenwalder: J. Arnold Arbor. 58: 201, fig. 2B. (1977) unknown
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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