Any of several North American trees of the genus Populus having a tuft of cottony hairs on the seed.
Any of several North American poplars of the genus Populus, with seeds topped by a thick tuft of silky hairs. The eastern cottonwood P. deltoides, growing to 30 m/100 ft, is native to the eastern US. The name cottonwood is also given to the downy-leaved Australian tree Bedfordia salaoina.

ETYM Old Eng. popler, Old Fren. poplier, French peuplier, from Latin populus poplar.
1. Any of numerous trees of north temperate regions having light soft wood and flowers borne in catkins; SYN. poplar tree.
2. Soft light-colored nondurable wood of the poplar.
Deciduous tree of the genus Populus, or cottonwood trees of the willow family Salicaceae. When ripe, the feathery seeds borne on elongated clusters are blown far and wide by the wind. Balsam poplar P. balsamifera and eastern cottonwood P. deltoides are native to North America. Eurasian white poplar P. alba and Lombardy poplar P. nigra are grown widely as ornamentals. Aspens belong to the same genus.

A poplar that is widely cultivated in the United States; has white bark and leaves with whitish undersurfaces; SYN. white aspen, abele, aspen poplar, silver-leaved poplar, Populus alba.