Largetooth aspen
Description
Leaves
Form
- Varies from ovate with a short, sharp tip to broadly oval with a blunt tip
- Neoformed leaves on vigorous shoots heart-shaped, large
- Dense woolly hairs on lower surface
Length
- 5–10 cm
Colour
- Upper surface dark green
- Lower surface paler with white hairs when unfolding in spring
Margin
- 7–15 large uneven teeth per side
- Teeth smaller, more numerous on neoformed leaves
Petiole
- Flattened, shorter than the blade
- Less flattened, with dense white woolly hairs on neoformed leaves
Timing
- 7–10 days later than trembling aspen
Buds
Form
- Terminal bud ovoid, blunt
- Finely hairy, not gummy or fragrant
- Lateral leaf buds similar but more slender
- Flower buds stout
Length
- 7–8 mm
Colour
- Dull brown
Twigs
Form
- Moderately coarse
- Downy when the leaves are unfolding
- Some hairiness often remains
- Round in cross-section
Colour
- Dull brownish
- Lenticels orange
Flowers
Structure
- Dioecious
Fruits
Form
- Capsules narrowly conical, downy, closely spaced on flexible stalks
- Splitting into 2 parts when mature
Length
- Mature seed catkins 10–12 cm
- Capsules 6–7 mm
Timing
- Seeds ripen 4–6 weeks after flowering
Bark
Form
- Smooth, with age becoming furrowed
- Diamond-shaped marks about 1 cm across frequently occur
Colour
- Pale green to yellowish-grey, usually with an orange cast, becoming dark grey
- Darker than trembling aspen
Size
Height
- To 20 m
Diameter
- To 30 cm
Maximum age
- 60 years
Tree form
Forest-grown
Trunk
- Long, cylindrical, smooth, with little taper
- Branch-free in the lower part
Crown
- Short, rounded
Root system
- Shallow, very wide-spreading
Habitat
Site
- Moist, fertile soils
Associated species
- Small pure stands, usually a single clone formed by root sprouts
- More often mixed with trembling aspen, white birch, eastern white pine, balsam fir, white spruce, willows and alders
Insects and diseases
Insects
Insects and diseases that are found most frequently and/or that cause the most damage in our Canadian forests.
Distribution map

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