GREG DOERING
Kansas Farm Bureau
When the Kansas legislature selected a state tree it chose the native cottonwood because its presence was synonymous with homestead success. The fast-growing trees require adequate moisture to grow, so a standing grove indicated crops were likely to succeed as well."
It might honestly be said that the successful growth of the cottonwood grove on the homestead was often the determining factor in the decision of the homesteader to stick it out until he could prove up on his claim,” legislators reasoned in 1937. “The cottonwood tree can rightfully be called the pioneer tree of Kansas."
Cottonwoods were also named the state tree in Nebraska and Wyoming, largely for the same reason.
A large specimen of the popular poplar stood just outside the Statehouse when the cottonwood became Kansas’ state tree. It had shaded citizens and politicians alike, with presidents Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley and William Howard Taft having sought refuge under its canopy.
Standing in the shadow of a cottonwood’s triangular leaves offers protection from the sun and a bit of a light show. The top side of the leaves are a lustrous green while the underside reflects hints of silver causing a shimmering effect as they sway in the breeze. The fronds turn a brilliant yellow before falling to the ground in the fall.
Legend has it the Statehouse Cottonwood sprouted from a stake driven during the construction of the Capitol. A less exciting (and more believable) story is the tree was already an established sapling in 1866 when construction started and it survived the building process, in addition to other calamities before succumbing to old age in 1984. Today a cutting from the original grows in its place.
While not a redwood or sequoia, cottonwoods can be massive compared to other trees in Kansas. They top out around 100 feet, but the trunks can be several feet in diameter. The towering nature of the trees meant they also served as landmarks, like one in Osage County that designated a turn on the Santa Fe Trail.
Cottonwoods don’t get their name from the wood inside those towering trunks. Instead, it comes from the small seeds the behemoths produce. The lightweight kernels are coated in fluffy fibers resembling strands of cotton that act like sails dispersing the seeds with the wind.
It’s not uncommon to see flurries of cotton flying in June as large groves of the trees shed their seeds. The white puffs are barely heavy enough to fall toward the ground. On calm, sunny days, it’s not uncommon to watch the rise and fall with the invisible thermal currents.
Cottonwoods, like early explorers on the high seas, can reach anywhere the winds blow. Kansans chose cottonwoods as the state tree because they served as crude symbols of likely success to prairie pioneers, but cottonwoods colonized the landscape much like their human counterparts through resilience, adaptability and determination.
They thrive in a new and harsh environment, traits necessary for any settler. Cottonwoods embody the characteristics of Kansans in a state founded and shaped by persistence and possibility.
"Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.