Taxon Report

Populus angustifolia James

narrow-leaved cottonwood

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Taxon Summary

Populus angustifolia, commonly known as narrow-leaved cottonwood, is a perennial deciduous tree in the Salicaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Riparian forest, growing at elevations from 1200 to 1800 meters. Populus angustifolia is ranked 2B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened, or Endangered in California, But More Common Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Populus angustifolia James
Common Name:	narrow-leaved cottonwood
Family:	Salicaceae
Element Code:	PDSAL01020
USDA Plants Symbol:	POAN3
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial deciduous tree
Blooming Period: Mar-Apr	Mar-Apr
Elevation:	1200-1800 (3935-5905)
General Habitats:	Riparian forest
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	2B.2
Global Rank:	G5
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:	changed from 2.2 to 2B.2 on 2013-06-12

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	2
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	1
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	1

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Inyo (INY)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Aberdeen (3611883), Chloride City (3611668)?

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	2
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	1	50 %
Altered flood/tidal/hydrologic regime	1	50%
Other	1	50%

Notes



Known in CA from only five occurrences. Collection from Keane (346B) needs verification. On watch list in OR.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 4 November 2025].