It is used in the manufacturer of paper, excelsior, and, to a small extent, woodenware. This is a tree of low, wet swamps and the flood plains of the larger streams and rivers. It is reported from Ashtabula County westward to the old black-swamp areas of northwestern Ohio and south to the Ohio River. The seeds are carried far by winds and germinate on wet sandy soils. Branchlets are stout and dull brown or gray in color.
Buds are slightly sticky.
The branches are usually short, forming a narrow, round-topped crown. The leaf blade gradually narrows at the tip and is slightly rounded toward the base. Margins are usually finely toothed. Foliage is dark green above and pale and smooth below. Foliage is tomentose when young, becoming glabrous or somewhat hairy as it ages.