Populus tremula
A deciduous tree known for trembling leaves and clonal colonies.
Populus tremula—known as aspen, common aspen, Eurasian aspen, European aspen, or quaking aspen—is a poplar species that grows naturally in the cool temperate parts of the Old World. This large deciduous tree can reach 40 meters tall and 10 meters wide, with a trunk more than a meter across. Young trees have smooth, pale greenish-gray bark marked with dark gray diamond-shaped lenticels, while older trees develop dark gray, fissured bark. A specimen in Estonia’s Nigula Nature Reserve, standing 45.5 meters tall, may be the tallest in Europe.
The adult leaves on mature branches are nearly round, slightly wider than long, 2–8 cm across, with coarse teeth along the edge and a flattened leaf stalk 4–8 cm long. This flat petiole makes the leaves tremble even in light winds, which inspired the scientific name and one old common name, “langues de femmes,” from Gerard’s 17th-century Herball. Leaves on seedlings and fast-growing root sprouts are heart-shaped to almost triangular, often much larger—up to 20 cm long—and have less flattened stalks. The flowers are wind-pollinated catkins that appear in early spring before the leaves. The species is dioecious: male catkins are green and brown, 5–10 cm long when shedding pollen; female catkins are green, 2–6 cm long at pollination, maturing in early summer into 10–20 (sometimes up to 80) capsules. Each capsule holds many tiny seeds wrapped in downy fluff, which helps them scatter in the wind when the capsules split open. This tree can be told apart from the very similar North American *Populus tremuloides* by its more coarsely toothed leaves.
Like other aspens, it spreads widely through root sprouts, which can appear up to 40 meters from the parent tree, forming large clonal colonies. This makes clearing unwanted trees difficult, since new suckers keep sprouting from the extensive root system for years after all surface growth is removed.
The species is native across Europe and Asia, from Iceland and the British Isles east to Kamchatka, north to the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia and northern Russia, and south to central Spain, Turkey, the Tian Shan, North Korea, and northern Japan. It also grows at one site in northwest Africa, in Algeria. In the southern part of its range, it is found at high mountain elevations.
Eurasian aspen needs plenty of water and light and quickly colonizes open areas after fire, clear-cutting, or
- Scientific name
- Populus tremula
- Common names
- Aspen, common aspen, Eurasian aspen, European aspen, quaking aspen
- Maximum height
- 40 meters (130 ft)
- Maximum trunk diameter
- Over 1 meter (3 ft 3 in)
- Maximum age
- 200 years
- Native range
- Cool temperate regions of Europe and Asia, from Iceland to Kamchatka, north to the Arctic Circle, south to central Spain, Turkey, Tian Shan, North Korea, northern Japan, and one site in Algeria
- Notable specimen
- 45.5 meter tall aspen in Nigula Nature Reserve, Estonia, possibly the tallest in Europe
Lore & Background
Populus tremula is a deciduous tree that can reach 40 meters in height, with pale greenish-grey bark that becomes dark grey and fissured on older trees. Its adult leaves are nearly round, 2–8 cm in diameter, with coarsely toothed margins and a laterally flattened petiole 4–8 cm long, causing them to tremble in even slight breezes—a feature that inspired its scientific name and the vernacular name 'langues de femmes' from Gerard's 17th-century Herball. Seedlings and fast-growing suckers produce heart-shaped to nearly triangular leaves, often much larger, up to 20 cm long.
Reader's Guide
Populus tremula is significant for its ecological role and economic uses. It spreads extensively by root suckers, forming large clonal colonies, and is a water- and light-demanding species that colonizes open areas after fire or clear-cutting. Its wood is light and soft, used for lumber, matches, pulp and paper, plywood, and renewable energy. The tree is resistant to browsing by fallow deer due to its unpleasant taste and serves as a host for the hornet moth during its larval stage. The fastigiate cultivar 'Erecta' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Hybrids with Populus alba (grey poplar) and other aspens have been bred for timber production and disease resistance. Fossils from the early Pliocene of Turkey have been described.
Did You Know?
- The flattened petiole of the leaves causes them to tremble in slight breezes, giving the tree its scientific name and the vernacular name 'langues de femmes'.
- It can spread by root suckers up to 40 meters from the parent tree, forming extensive clonal colonies.
- A 45.5 meter tall specimen in Nigula Nature Reserve, Estonia, may be the tallest aspen in Europe.
- Fossils of Populus tremula have been found in early Pliocene deposits in Turkey.
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