Trembling aspen
- Latin name: Populus tremuloides Michx.
- French name: Peuplier faux-tremble
- Synonym(s): Quaking aspen
- Taxonomic Serial Number: 195773
Description
Leaves
Form
- Broadly oval to kidney-shaped
- Tip abrupt, short, sharp
- Base rounded
- Usually hairless
- Preformed leaves usually broadly oval
- Neoformed leaves heart-shaped, often larger or smaller than preformed leaves and with more readily visible basal glands
Length
- 3–7 cm
Colour
- Upper surface deep green
- Lower surface paler
Margin
- Teeth fine, irregular (20–30 per side)
- Teeth more numerous in neoformed leaves
Petiole
- Flattened
- Slender
- Usually longer than the blade
- Round in neoformed leaves
Timing
- 7–10 days earlier than largetooth aspen
Buds
Form
- Flower buds larger
- Leaf buds smaller
- Conical, pointed, appressed, with the tips curving inward
- 6–7 scales, shiny, slightly resinous, not fragrant
- Leaf scars small, triangular
Length
- 6–7 mm
Colour
- Dark reddish-brown
Twigs
Form
- Slender, shiny, round in cross-section
- Lenticels oval
Colour
- Dark green or brownish-grey
Flowers
Structure
- Dioecious
Fruits
Form
- Stalk hairy
- Capsules narrowly conical, hairless
- Splitting into 2 parts when mature
- About 10 seeds
Length
- Mature seed catkins 10 cm
- Capsules 5–7 mm
Timing
- Seeds ripen 4–6 weeks after flowering
Bark
Form
- Smooth with a waxy appearance
- Becoming furrowed into long flat-topped ridges
- Diamond-shaped marks about 1 cm across sometimes occur
Colour
- Pale green to almost white when young, becoming darker
Wood
Uses
- Manufacture of oriented strand board and other forms of chipboard
Size
Height
- To 25 m
Diameter
- To 40 cm
Maximum age
- 80 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
- A great variety of soils
- Prefers sheltered sites
Associated species
- Often in pure stands; also mixed with white spruce, black spruce, balsam fir, white birch, balsam poplar and jack pine
Range
Throughout the forested areas of Canada
Photos
Photos
Derek Johnson
Insects and mites
Insects that cause damage to this tree.
-
Ashflower gall
Scientific name: Eriophyes fraxiniflora Felt
-
Carpenterworm
Scientific name: Prionoxystus robiniae (Peck)
-
Cottonwood crown borer
Scientific name: Sesia tibialis (Harris)
-
Fall cankerworm
Scientific name: Alsophila pometaria [Harris]
-
Spring cankerworm
Scientific name: Paleacrita vernata (Peck)
Foliage or buds
-
Aspen serpentine leafminer
Scientific name: Phyllocnistis populiella Chambers
-
Aspen twoleaf tier
Scientific name: Enargia decolor (Walker)
- Eupithecia subfuscata (Haworth)
-
Fall cankerworm
Scientific name: Alsophila pometaria [Harris]
-
Fall webworm
Scientific name: Hyphantria cunea (Drury)
-
Forest tent caterpillar
Scientific name: Malacosoma disstria Hubner
-
Gelechiid moth
Scientific name: Chionodes continuella (Zeller)
-
Large aspen tortrix
Scientific name: Choristoneura conflictana (Walker)
-
Lombardy leafminer
Scientific name: Paraphytomyza populicola (Walker)
-
Mourningcloak butterfly or spiny elm caterpillar
Scientific name: Nymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus)
-
Northern tent caterpillar
Scientific name: Malacosoma californicum pluviale (Dyar)
-
Poplar bud gall mite
Scientific name: Aceria parapopuli (Keif.)
-
Purplestriped shootworm
Scientific name: Zeiraphera unfortunana Powell
-
Satin moth
Scientific name: Leucoma salicis (L.)
-
Speckled green fruitworm
Scientific name: Orthosia hibisci (Guenée)
-
Spring cankerworm
Scientific name: Paleacrita vernata (Peck)
-
Uglynest caterpillar
Scientific name: Archips cerasivorana (Fitch)
-
White slaut
Scientific name: Tetracis cachexiata (Guenée)
-
Whitetriangle leafroller
Scientific name: Clepsis persicana (Fitch)
Roots, bark, stem or trunk, or branches
Diseases caused by pathogens
Diseases caused by pathogens that cause damage to this tree.
Septoria leaf spot of poplars
Pathogen name: Sphaerulina populicola (Peck) Quaedvl., Verkley & Crous
-
Brown cubical sap rot
Pathogen name: Gloeophyllum sepiarium (Wulfen: Fr.) P. Karst.
-
Septoria leaf spot of poplars
Pathogen name: Sphaerulina populicola (Peck) Quaedvl., Verkley & Crous
Foliage or buds
Septoria leaf spot of poplars
Pathogen name: Sphaerulina populicola (Peck) Quaedvl., Verkley & Crous
-
Conifer-aspen rust
Pathogen name: Melampsora medusae f. sp. tremuloidis Shain
-
Ink spot of aspen
Pathogen name: Ciborinia whetzelii (Seaver) Seaver
-
Leaf blight (Ventura populina)
Pathogen name: Venturia populina (Vuill.) Fabric.
-
Marssonina leaf spot
Pathogen name: Marssonina populi (Lib.) Magnus
-
Septoria leaf spot of poplars
Pathogen name: Sphaerulina populicola (Peck) Quaedvl., Verkley & Crous
-
Shepherd’s crook of aspen
Pathogen name: Venturia moreletii Rulamort
Roots, bark, stem or trunk, or branches
Pitted sap rot
Pathogen name: Trichaptum abietinum (Dicks.) Ryvarden (Common names for this fungus: purple conk fungus, purple-toothed polypore)
White spongy trunk rot
Pathogen name: Fomes fomentarius (L.) Fr. (Common name for this fungus: tinder conk)
Distribution map
