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Populus tremula
Also called Aspen, Common Aspen, European Aspen, Poplar, Quaking Aspen, Waverly
Eurasian aspen (Populus tremula) is a fast-growing, large deciduous tree native to cool temperate Europe and Asia, grown in parks and large gardens rather than as a small plant. Give it cool, moist but well-drained conditions and plenty of space, as its roots spread widely and it suckers.
Populus tremula (commonly called aspen, common aspen, Eurasian aspen, European aspen, or quaking aspen) is a species of poplar native to cool temperate regions of the Old World.
The aspen is found in cultivation in parks and large gardens. The fastigiate cultivar 'Erecta', with bright yellow autumn colouring, has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. The cultivar is colloquially known as "Swedish columnar" in Canada and the United States.
The hybrid with Populus alba (white poplar), known as grey poplar, Populus × canescens, is widely found in Europe and central Asia. Hybrids with several other aspens have also been bred at forestry research institutes in order to find trees with greater timber production and disease resistance (e.g. P. tremula × P. tremuloides, bred in Denmark).
The species is native to Europe and Asia, from Iceland and the British Isles east to Kamchatka, north to inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia and northern Russia, and south to central Spain, Turkey, the Tian Shan, North Korea, and northern Japan. It also occurs at one site in northwest Africa in Algeria. In the south of its range, it occurs at high altitudes in mountains.
The wood of aspen is light and soft with very little shrinkage. It is used for lumber and matches but is also valued in the pulp and paper industry, being particularly useful for writing paper. In addition, it is used for plywood and different types of flake and particle boards. Given its hardiness and capacity for rapid growth and regeneration, it plays an important role in the production of wood for renewable energy. Ecologically, the species is important as many insect and fungi species benefit from it. The tree further provides habitat for several mammals and birds that require young forests.
White Poplar · Balsam poplar · Himalayan Poplar · Eastern cottonwood · Bigtooth aspen · Tana River poplar · Black Poplar · Populus pruinosa · Simon poplar · Quaking aspen · Western Balsam Poplar · Yunnan poplar
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Populus tremula by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
