Identifying a Mystery Tree in Chicago: Fruitless Mulberry or Cottonwood?

Key Identification Features

Based on the single leaf photo (simple, alternate, ovate with lobed base, toothed margins, pointed tip), the tree is likely either:

• Fruitless mulberry (Morus alba 'Fruitless') – rounded crown, not too tall.
• Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) – taller, more pointed crown, yellow fall color.

Next Steps for Confirmation

1. Photograph the whole tree—form, bark, branching.
2. Observe fall color: yellow = cottonwood; less distinctive = mulberry.
3. Check with Chicago Park District or a local arborist—they know parkway plantings.

Why Field Guides Fail

Many guides omit cultivated/urban selections like fruitless mulberry, which is widely planted as a street tree.