Quaking Aspen
Populus tremuloides · Salicaceae (Willow and Poplar family)
AI-generated identification · may be incorrect
Leaf Morphology
Leaf Type
Simple, deciduous leaf
Shape
Broadly ovate to nearly orbicular with an acute or short-acuminate tip and a rounded to truncate base
Margin
Finely serrate or crenate with small, rounded or pointed teeth
Arrangement
Alternate, attached via a distinctive flattened petiole that causes the leaf to tremble in the slightest breeze
Venation
Pinnate venation with a prominent pale midrib and branching secondary veins radiating outward, supplemented by a sub-palmate appearance near the base
Key Features
Smooth white bark, broadly ovate leaves with finely toothed margins, and a flattened petiole that allows leaves to tremble in the wind
Description
The Quaking Aspen is a medium-sized deciduous tree famous for its smooth, pale white-to-greenish bark and vibrant golden-yellow autumn foliage. The crown is open and rounded. It produces catkins in early spring before the leaves emerge and reproduces extensively through underground root systems, forming massive clonal colonies.
Habitat
Found primarily in moist to well-drained soils of boreal forests, mountain slopes, and riparian zones, thriving in full sun and often pioneering cleared or burned land
Native Range
Widely distributed across North America, from Alaska and Canada down through the western United States to northern Mexico, as well as the Great Lakes region and the northeastern US