Quaking Aspen

Populus tremuloides

Summary

Quaking aspen is easy to identify as its flattened leaf stalks cause the leaves to flutter with the slightest breeze.  In fall, the shimmering golden foliage against the white bark is a striking feature. The most widely distributed tree in North America, it can adapt to a wide variety of soil, pH, moisture, and climate conditions. It grows 40-50 feet tall and spreads by root shoots, sometimes forming large colonies.

More Details

FAMILY

Populus (Poplar)

BLOOM TIME

Spring, Individual flowers are small and clustered in elongated, drooping catkins that expand before the leaves.

FLOWER

Yellow, green

MATURE SIZE

30-40 feet with narrow crown

LIGHT REQUIREMENT

Sun, part-shade, shade

SOIL CONDITIONS

dry, moist, wet

NATIVE STATUS

PA Native

Ecosystem Connections

 

 

Many birds feed on the buds, catkins, and seeds. Deer and elk seek shade from aspen groves in summer, and consume bark, leaves, buds, and twigs of quaking aspens throughout the year. Ruffed grouse are especially dependent on quaking aspens for food and nesting habitat.

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