Populus tremuloides

Not to be confused with European aspen, Populus tremula, which is also known as the quaking aspen.
For other trees called "white poplar", see White poplar.

Quaking aspen
Quaking aspen grove in Lamoille Canyon, Nevada, U.S.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Salicaceae
Genus: Populus
Section: Populus sect. Populus
Species:
P. tremuloides
Binomial name
Populus tremuloides

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,[2][3][4] trembling aspen,[2][3] American aspen,[3] mountain or golden aspen,[5] trembling poplar,[5] white poplar,[5] and popple,[5] as well as others.[5] The trees have tall trunks, up to 25 metres (82 feet) tall, with smooth pale bark, scarred with black. The glossy green leaves, dull beneath, become golden to yellow, rarely red, in autumn. The species often propagates through its roots to form large clonal groves originating from a shared root system. These roots are not rhizomes, as new growth develops from adventitious buds on the parent root system (the ortet).

Populus tremuloides is the most widely distributed tree in North America, being found from Canada to central Mexico.[4][6] It is the defining species of the aspen parkland biome in the Prairie Provinces of Canada and extreme northwest Minnesota.

  1. ^ Barstow, M.; Stritch, L. (2018). "Populus tremuloides". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T61960127A61960136. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T61960127A61960136.en. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b Quaking Aspen by the Bryce Canyon National Park Service
  3. ^ a b c "Populus tremuloides". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
  4. ^ a b Perala, D. A. (1990). "Populus tremuloides". In Burns, Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H. (eds.). Hardwoods. Silvics of North America. Vol. 2. Washington, D.C.: United States Forest Service (USFS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – via Southern Research Station.
  5. ^ a b c d e "technology transfer fact sheet: Populus spp" (PDF). Forest Products Laboratory: R&D USDA. Madison, Wisconsin: United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Center for Wood Anatomy Research. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  6. ^ "Aspen, Quaking (Populus tremuloides)". Arbor Day Foundation.