Narrowleaf Cottonwood
Populus angustifolia

ECOLOGY
Larval host to the Arizona Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis ssp. arizonensis), the Weidemeyer's admiral (Limenitis weidemeyeri latifascia), the Southwest Viceroy (Limenitis archippus ssp. obsoleta), the western tiger swallowtail (Papilio rutulus), mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa), the Dreamy Duskywing (Erynnis icelus), the twirler moth (Gelechia versutella), the Western Tent Caterpillar Moth (Malacosoma californica), the Western Poplar Sphinx (Pachysphinx occidentalis), and many, many other species of moths, butterflies, and other insects. Habitat for nesting birds, particularly for raptors. Seeds feed granivorous birds and mammals. Fluff from seeds used as nest material.

ETHNOBOTANY
The buds are used as food, or chewed like gum, the shoots are used for basketry, and the wood is used for building and fuel. Wood products from twoneedle pinyon include fuelwood, charcoal, mine timbers, railroad crossties, lumber, fenceposts, and pulpwood.

NATURAL DISTRIBUTION
Found along streams from 5,000-7,500’ from southern British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan south through the inland western United States in the vicinity of the Rocky Mountains and Sky Islands of the southwest, and adjacent Mexico.

TAXONOMY AND NAME
This species is in the Salicaceae, the willow family. The genus Populus has 98 species native to most of the northern hemisphere.
Populus is the classical Latin name for poplar trees but also means “people" because the many moving leaves in a breeze resemble a moving populace and also in reference of the fact that the trees were often planted around public meeting places in Roman times, while angustifolia means narrow leaved.