Populus tremuloides: The Quaking Aspen

It stands 80 feet tall, a thin, white-barked trunk with brightly colored leaves that delicately shake in the wind. In the fall, the leaves change to a stunning yellow before falling off. Aspen trees are strikingly beautiful.

Aspen is the common name for a few similar trees, mostly in the Populus plant genus. In the United States, the aspen tree has the scientific name Populus tremuloides.

Aspens are deciduous, meaning they seasonally shed their leaves. 

The leaves attach to the branch with a long and flattened petiole, causing them to flutter in even the slightest breeze. Because of this, the trees are often called “quaking aspens.” This quality also inspired the tree’s species name, tremuloides.

Quaking aspens typically grow between 20 to 100 feet in height with a trunk diameter between 3 to 18 inches. The bark often appears white but actually has a green tint due to the presence of chlorophyll. 

The bark has the appearance of black “scars,” where lower branches naturally self-prune and fall off. Overall, aspen trees appear tall and slender, with their branches at the top.

Aspens continue to grow in winter, even when other deciduous trees lay dormant. Most trees carry out photosynthesis in their leaves, but Aspens have a green photosynthetic layer beneath their bark that allows them to produce sugar and grow year-round.

Aspens are native to North America and are common throughout Canada, the Northern United States, and New England. Aspen trees are frequently found as far south as New Mexico, Arizona, and California, making them the most widely dispersed native tree in North America.

Aspens grow in clonal colonies. Each tree is a genetic replicate of the other, connected by an elaborate root system.  Each clonal colony is considered a single organism.

A single aspen tree does not stand alone - it exists as a part of a larger organism.