A large tree of the willow family, native to North America, named for its cottony seeds.
Cotton (fluffy white appearance) + wood (the tree/timber, from Old English wudu). Named descriptively for the seed pods that contain cottony fibers.
Cottonwood trees produce millions of cottony seeds that drift through the air like snow—it's actually incredibly important for river ecosystems, as their roots stabilize riverbanks and their canopy provides shade for water.
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