Cotton wood tree “seeds”

Question

I recall as a kid I used the pea sized green “seeds” from our backyard cotton wood tree as ammo for my pea shooter made from a willow branch. These “seeds” looked like exactly like peas but contained a cottony fiber. What is the official name for these “peas”? I recall they hung in clusters. Perhaps my memory is faulty from age.

Answer 1

These peas are the fruit of the cottonwood. If allowed to mature, they open and release the cotton fibers we all know so well.