Populus tremuloides

Quaking Aspen

Salicaceae

Expand

Habitat

  • native to western and eastern coasts of North America
  • hardy to zone 1

Habit and Form

  • a deciduous tree
  • 40' to 50' tall
  • 20' to 30' wide
  • narrow, conical in youth maturing into a rounded crown
  • medium texture
  • fast growth rate

Summer Foliage

  • alternate leaf arrangement
  • simple, deciduous leaves
  • orbicular leaf shape
  • 1.5" to 3" long
  • finely serrated leaf margins
  • glacescent leaf underside
  • dark green leaf color

Autumn Foliage

  • yellow fall color

Flowers

  • not ornamentally important

Fruit

  • not ornamentally important

Bark

  • slender, reddish brown stems
  • greenish-gray bark
  • smooth
  • furrowed and darkened bark with age

Culture

  • prefers wet soils
  • full sun
  • soil tolerant

Landscape Use

  • lumber
  • interesting form

Liabilities

  • do not plant near sewers, septic tanks, drains or sidewalks
  • suckers
  • canker
  • short-lived
  • too many to name

ID Features

  • terminal, imbricate, conical, sharp-pointed buds
  • buds are resinous and reddish brown
  • narrow, conical habit
  • finely, serrated leaf margins
  • slender, reddish, brown twigs

Propagation

  • by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

  • none

© Copyright Mark H. Brand, 1997-2015.

The digital materials (images and text) available from the UConn Plant Database are protected by copyright. Public use via the Internet for non-profit and educational purposes is permitted. Use of the materials for profit is prohibited.

Citation and Acknowledgements: University of Connecticut Plant Database, http://hort.uconn.edu/plants, Mark H. Brand, Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, Storrs, CT 06269-4067 USA.