Trembling Aspen (White Poplar) (Trees of Manitoba)

Trembling Aspen (White Poplar)

Populus tremuloides

Traditional Indigenous Names ⁵

Cree: Mitosatik
Ojibwe: azaadiinsag
Dakota: Wakhchin chanchan
Dene: K’es

Summary from Wikipedia ⁶

Populus tremuloides is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America, one of several species referred to by the common name aspen. It is commonly called quaking aspen, trembling aspen, American aspen, Quakies, mountain or golden aspen, trembling poplar, white poplar, popple, as well as others. The trees have tall trunks, up to 25 meters (82 feet) tall, with smooth pale bark, scarred with black. The glossy gree

Easy identifiers ⁵

Trembling Aspen are usually easy to identify even from afar because their round leaves shake in the wind and create a flashy illusion. They also have white bark that makes them stand out. You can tell Trembling Aspen and white birch apart by looking at their leaf shape and also looking at their bark to see if it peals or not, Trembling Aspen bark will not peel off like white birch bark will.

Form ⁵

Medium-to-tall deciduous tree with slender trunk and moderately stout ascending branches forming an open, round-topped crown.

Bark ⁵

Smooth, greenish-grey to whitish, becoming rough and furrowed.

Twigs ⁵

Alternate, slender, flexible, shiny. Lenticels generally inconspicuous, small, elongate. Terminal bud about 6 - 7 millimetres (1/4 inch) long, lustrous, usually without hairs, sharp-pointed, with several scales, slightly gummy; lateral buds smaller. Leaf scars moon-shaped, light-brown with three raised bundle scars.

Leaves ⁵

Alternate, simple, egg-shaped to nearly circular, abruptly pointed, fine-toothed with numerous rounded teeth, 3 - 7 millimetres (1 1/2 - 3 inches) long and about the same width, on flattened stalks longer than leaf blade. The trembling aspen gets its common name from its leaves, which flutter in the lightest breeze.

Flowers ⁵

Before leaves, in drooping hairy catkins.

Fruit ⁵

With leaves, a capsule about 5 - 7 millimetres (1/4 inch) long in catkins.

Occurrence ⁵

Common throughout the forested region in moist to dry habitats.

Fun facts ⁵

Trembling Aspen wood is not very useful for building things because it is soft and rots easily. It is however useful for pulp and wafer board, and was used as liner in baby cradles because it is soft and absorbent.

Sources and Credits

(c) Manitoba Forestry, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Manitoba Forestry
(c) Matt Lavin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/plant_diversity/5002308731/
(c) bethanykier, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Mark Stevens, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/14723335@N05/36699624636/
(c) Manitoba Forestry, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Adapted by Manitoba Forestry from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populus_tremuloides

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