M.A.D.Horse
Posted by Barbara Orenstein on May 29, 2006
Q: a very tall tree has what looks grape-like clusters of small round "buds" which open an send out white fluffy floating seedlings. They just recently began t fly thru the air and cover the ground with this cottony-looking filaments. What is the name of this tree??
Habitat: suburban/yard
State: New York
Habitat: suburban/yard
A: Sounds like you've experienced "summer snow" from one of the Populus species. The cottonwoods and aspens have these fluffy seed attachments that allow their seeds to be broadcasted a great distance from the parent. There are also some introduced species in this same genus (White and Black Poplar are two) plus some hybrids so the tree in question may not even be native. Seems late for one of our native Populus species so I'm going to stick my neck out and assume it's a non-native species. Hope this helps. Thanks for your excellent description and location information - really helps!!!
John Wiessinger ( May 29, 2006)