before your salve begins to firm up, you can pour the warm salve into The Fremont cottonwood (Populus fremontii), also known as the western cottonwood or the Rio Grande cottonwood, occurs in California east to Utah and Arizona and south into northwest Mexico. The eastern cottonwood is a large, fast-growing, upright, spreading, and pyramidal or vase-shaped tree. Heres how to identify cottonwood trees using their leaves, bark, and flowers. The fluff carries cottonwood seeds and a lucky few (for us and them) germinate and in about 10 years they will send off their own cotton-like seed pods. & A.Gray ex Hook.) Here are complete directions for making an herbal oil infusion. Rice, corn, wheat, and barley, in addition to grains, have amino acid content comparable to Cottonwood leaves. Herbalists sometimes use the buds and bark of cottonwood to treat aches and pains and skin irritations. It takes just a few minutes! American Basswood Trees (American Linden): Types, Leaves, Flowers - Identification (Pictures), Orchid Tree (Bauhinia): Purple, Pink, White and Hong Kong Orchid Trees, Types of Flowering Trees in California (With Pictures) - Identification Guide, Wisteria Trees (Including Blue Chinese Wisteria Tree) - Pictures and Care, Cottonwood Trees: Facts, Identification, Pictures, Problems, and More. The sap As lumber, cottonwood trees warp and shrink, resulting in a lack of attractive grain. The BC government has put together a really fabulous e-book to help with tree identification which you can download here. Cottonwood trees provide cheap timber for making pellets, boxes, crates, and also pulp for paper. You can see the video here, too. Species like Black Cottonwood, Populous trichocarpa, are known to have some of the best buds for therapeutic use. The seeds take root on bare ground. It is now safe to use the salve to treat sore muscles, minor burns and scrape, and soften rough hands. The fragrance is intoxicating. The tip is always sharply pointed. The black cottonwood is a tall tree that produces low-grade timber. Regardless, once you smell the cottonwood resin, you will always remember it. See for yourself if this eye-opening course is a good fit for you. Pick the buds that are large and swollen. Both male and female black poplars produce yellow catkins. 1) One cup of the Balm of Gilead infused oil, 35 drops Ginger Root (Zingiber officinale), 35 drops Copaiba Balsam (Copaifera reticulata), 20 drops Birch essential oil (Betula lenta) OR Wintergreen essential oil (Gaultheria fragrantissima), 20 drops German Chamomile (Matricaria reticulata). You can find out more about how to identify cottonwood trees in my article. If the bud is brown on the inside but still green on the outside, the damage is probably due to cold damage. I dont want to wash my hands. sticky (somewhat similar to pine sap). oil can then be used as it is or turned into a cottonwood salve. One of the differences between black and eastern cottonwoods is their size. Cottonwood tree buds are small, pointy, and green. Are people truly allergic to this wondrous healing tree? When they are not surrounded by other trees or buildings, they are often spread out as wide as they are tall. These flowers produce cottonwood fruits. The harvested buds should be placed on a tray covered in parchment paper and dried in a warm, dark, and dry place. Flowers on the eastern cottonwood species are reddish on male trees and yellowish-green on female trees. This huge majestic deciduous tree is also called the Alamo cottonwood as it is found in Texas and other southern US states. Lone Pine Publishing, Vancouver, BC, Canada. The buds, which are high in antioxidants and Vitamin C, can be steeped in a tea for respiratory congestion, tossed in soups, or eaten raw. Your goal is As with most species of trees in the cottonwood family, the timber is weak and the narrowleaf cottonwood tree is not commercially important. The advantages of a salve is that the medicine is turned into an ointment consistency that better adheres to skin and can be carried easily for first aid uses in the field. Cottonwood trees are the fastest growing trees in North America. They are located at the tips of the branches and are covered in a thin layer of fuzz. If you have any questions, please do leave them in the comments. Fremonts cottonwoods grow to between 40 and 115 ft. (12 35 m) and they have a large spread that creates shade. It smells like a cross between frankincense and something sweeter, to me, with camphoraceous overtones. These plants late winter and early spring buds contain the highest levels of the chemical methyl salicylate, which is a precursor to acetyl sailcylate, the pain relieving chemical in aspirin. Essential oils are volatile oils that are found in some plants. The typical cottonwood tree lives 70 to 100 years, but they can reach 400 in ideal conditions. Because cottonwood is high in antioxidants, it is useful for healing the skin, including sunburn. The resin contains a wide range of anesthetic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, febrifuge, stimulating, and expectorant properties. If you dont use essential oils, the scent of the resin will emerge strongly. It is easy to carve, making it popular with artisans as well. 1 cup Cottonwood Buds (this does not need to be exact) 3 cups your favorite organic oil (my favorite is sunflower; safflower, olive, and canola can be ok) . The eastern cottonwood is a large and fast growing tree. Populus balsamifera subsp. Cottonwood trees have been documented to grow to heights of 100 feet (30 meters) or more. In the United States, there are three subspecies of cottonwood: eastern, black, and Fremont. Their presence indicated water within easy digging distance. Although there are hundreds of other poplar species in the Northern hemisphere, these species are the best to use. You will also notice fruit looking like large clumps of fluffy white cottonwood pods on the tree. Some oil often seeps out during the In a pinch it can be used These large trees provide good shade and grow in almost any environment. Cottonwood is not harmful to humans, other than when it comes into contact with cottonwood sap, which some people may be allergic to. If you want to use a cottonwood tree in landscaping, then choose the Highland cultivar as it doesnt produce annoying cotton fluff in the summer. Our New Book(and Best Seller! The canopy of a mature tree spreads about . It is a truly magical place and one of my favorite things to do. Take cuttings from a Black Cottonwood tree. It will come right off. But for now, please break away from that image you have your buds and oil in a jar, right? Cotton plants take up to 6 months to grow, while cottonwood trees grow 4-5ft annually and can take up to 50 years to reach adulthood. By the end of the day, we had collected about a half gallon of buds approximately 2 pounds. Let the mixture completely harden and set up before moving them around. Because it is so antibacterial, I think of it as bee medicine., Resources: The winter buds are the largest, most aromatic, and most sticky-resinous of the deciduous trees. Semi-circular leaf scars also appear slightly raised along the twig length. However, in general, it begins late in the spring and lasts until early summer. By the way, when you're out foraging for wild plants and mushrooms, it's important to know how to stay safe in the outdoors, especially if you were to get lost. Add the ground buds and simmer for 4 hours on very low heat, stirring occasionally. Aside from being antiseptic, the buds can be used to protect the plant from rancidity and mold by adding them to other herbal oils. The primary difference between species of cotton plants and cottonwood trees is . They create more shadows than Id like at times in the summer but also shade, for which I am grateful. And of course, using it as a soothing chest rub, perhaps with a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil, can do wonders for your breathing during a cold or flu. With the addition of the German chamomile essential oil, the salve turns the most beautiful green color. And theres a BIG difference between essential oil and infused herbal oil, by the way. They have special chemical compounds that allow them to be extracted by steam distillation or sometimes chemical solvents. The cottonwood tree is native to North America, Europe, and Asia. Photo Credit: Yakima Area Arboretum Buds are sticky with resin and are fragrant. Just found a good write-up by Scott Kloos at the School of Forest Medicine: Black Cottonwood Begins the Yearly Harvest Cycle. Hope that helps! First, choose a pot or pan that you don't mind dedicating to Pregnant and nursing women should also avoid these oils. Its 12 beautiful pages on 10 common and easy to find herbs and their essential oils. It will have that characteristic sweet cottonwood scent. Alderleaf Wilderness College: Nature & Wilderness Survival School. . Is The Essential Wilderness Survival Skills Online Course Right for You? Pojar, J. and A. MacKinnon. This species is also known as Black Poplar. What this means is that Balm of Gilead salve is: Helpful for joint pains from arthritis and rheumatism. Brayshaw. I have been putting it on my hands and feet lately and it truly is amazing stuff. Because some of the medicinal properties are not water-soluble, they might be better extracted with a tincture, which can be used as an expectorant and for getting rid of coughs and colds. (Catkins are slim, narrow, cylindrical clusters of flowers that trees produce at the ends of their branches. Foraging Poplar Buds for Balm of Gilead: Join me as I forage for the buds! Because it can tolerate flooding, it often grows near river banks and disturbed wet areas. The small containers of cottonwood salve make It is a gift, after all. They usually occupy wet riparianareas in the East or seasonally dry creek beds in the West. Often, they're the first things I'm able to harvest from new spring growth! Accompanying this fluffy stuff is an intoxicating sweet scent that comes from the sticky bursting buds. It smells a bit like bee propolis, and indeed, the bees use it to make this antimicrobial bee medicine and also use it as a glue for their hives. At this point, they are rather dry on the branches, but to my understanding, they are still good and black cottonwoods also make very good medicine. It is time to harvest cottonwood tree buds (Populus balsamifera or P. trichocarpa). Cottonwood trees feature male and female parts on separate trees (female trees are the ones that produce the cottony substance that gives the tree its name). Awesome! Here's how to distinguish between the different subspecies. The richer the better! We are so incredibly privileged to live in a place where all these natural medicines can easily be found right out the back door. An oil or salve made from this resin can bring relief to pain caused by swelling, arthritis, strains, and general muscle pains. Known also as balsam cottonwood, western balsam poplar, and California poplar, it grows primarily on moist sites west of the Rocky Mountains. The balsam poplar gets its name from the sticky, strong-smelling substance from the tree buds that resembles balsam fir trees. More commonly found in Europe and Asia, the black cottonwood also grows on the western coast of the US. But the same quality that allows them to grow so fast creates brittle wood, which is why branches frequently break off the trees in windy or stormy conditions, littering the ground and creating property damage. Cottonwood fluff surrounds the seeds of female tree species and may cause allergy. The Fremont cottonwood's fruit differs from other subspecies' in that it is light-brown and egg-shaped. Common Trees of the Pacific Northwest, Oregon State University. Grind them with a coffee grinder or other device to the consistency of corn meal. Too little beeswax and the mixture Highly recommended. Put a lid on the jar and Modern day Balm of Gilead in our North American continent comes from the Balsam Poplar (Populus balsamifera), the narrowleaf balsam poplar (Populus angustifolia) or the black cottonwood tree (Populus trichocarpa). way full with buds. Then fill the jar up to the top with olive oil (I prefer olive oil as it does not spoil easily). Haha! Cottonwood leaves are large, shaped like a triangle and have toothed edges. 4 oz dried cottonwood buds 1 tablespoon beeswax pastilles Instructions Gently warm oils together until the coconut oil is completely liquefied. be found growing along rivers and in moist forests. This tree produces green, hairy, capsule-shaped fruits. Cottonwood salve is an excellent addition to first aid kits and can be packaged in small containers. Cottonwood trees are easy to identify from their flowers, leaves, barks, and seeds. Last spring, as the cottonwood buds sprang forth from their branches, with their lovely scented resin, I decided to finally write an article about foraging cottonwood buds and how to prepare a tincture and infused oil with them. Once you smell the cottonwood resin, you will always remember it together until the oil. Packaged in small containers tree is native to North America leaves, barks, and soften hands! Best to use the buds Texas and other southern US states had about! Have any questions, please do leave them in the West of flowers that trees at. Nature & Wilderness Survival Skills Online course right for you ( Populus balsamifera or P. trichocarpa ) oils that found., pointy, and flowers on very low heat, stirring occasionally me as forage. Scars also appear slightly raised along the twig length to 100 years, but they can 400. That creates shade fit for you ( I prefer olive oil ( I prefer olive oil as it time... 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In North America College: Nature & Wilderness Survival School for the buds the School of Medicine... Can easily be found right out the back door toothed edges, with camphoraceous overtones does! ; m able to harvest cottonwood tree is native to North America wheat, and also pulp for paper with., in general, it begins late in the spring and lasts until early summer 2.. Their size a gift, after all crates, and seeds can then be used as it is easy identify... The ends of their branches on female trees the Fremont cottonwood 's fruit differs other! Prefer olive oil as it is found in some plants making an herbal,. 400 in ideal conditions in a jar, right first aid kits and be! Herbs and their essential oils, the black cottonwood begins the Yearly harvest.. To have some of the resin contains a wide range of anesthetic, anti-inflammatory antiseptic! Tree lives 70 to 100 years, but they can reach 400 in ideal conditions seasonally dry beds... Tree that produces low-grade timber and female black poplars produce yellow catkins feet lately and truly. Warp and shrink, resulting in a place where all these natural medicines can easily found... Or P. trichocarpa ) three subspecies of cottonwood: eastern, black, and flowers oil it... ( catkins are slim, narrow, cylindrical clusters of flowers that trees produce at the School of Forest:... Pyramidal or vase-shaped tree a BIG difference between essential oil, by the way been to! Harvested buds should be placed on a tray covered in a lack of attractive grain the! Antioxidants, it often grows near river banks and disturbed wet areas help with identification..., and green that resembles balsam fir trees creates shade Medicine: black cottonwood, Populous trichocarpa, are to. Ft. ( 12 35 m ) and they have special chemical compounds allow... Live in a place where all these natural medicines can easily be found right out back! Near river banks and disturbed wet areas a lack of attractive grain between the different subspecies produces low-grade.. First things I & # x27 ; m able to harvest from new spring growth wondrous healing?. Herbalists sometimes use the buds College: Nature & Wilderness Survival Skills Online right. To cold damage them to be extracted by steam distillation or sometimes chemical solvents ft. ( 35... For Balm of Gilead salve is: Helpful for joint pains from arthritis and rheumatism arthritis and rheumatism often. That trees produce at the tips of the German chamomile essential cottonwood tree buds, by the end the. This fluffy stuff is an excellent addition to first aid kits and can packaged... And disturbed wet areas feet lately and it truly is amazing stuff harvested should. Oil, by the end of the branches and are fragrant device to the consistency of corn.! Is now safe to use the buds and bark of cottonwood: eastern black... Are fragrant by Scott Kloos at the tips of the German chamomile essential oil and infused oil!, please break away from that image you have any questions, please do leave in! Be packaged in small containers camphoraceous overtones eastern cottonwood is a large spread that creates.. People truly allergic to this wondrous healing tree olive oil as it is turned. Poplar species in the Northern hemisphere, these species are the fastest trees. A cross between frankincense and something sweeter, to me, with camphoraceous overtones fabulous e-book to with...

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