Populus tremuloides (American Aspen)

Populus tremuloides (American Aspen) is a medium-sized deciduous tree of softly pyramidal habit with a narrow, rounded crown boasting rounded, finely toothed, lustrous dark green leaves, up to 3 in. long (7 cm). They turn brilliant golden-yellow in the fall. The leaves have a flattened petiole that allows them to flutter and tremble in the slightest breeze, constantly moving and rustling, so trees can often be heard but not seen. In mid-spring, small male and female flowers appear in separate catkins on separate male and female trees before the leaves emerge. The female flowers give way to small drooping fruiting clusters. The bark is smooth and greenish-white at first, later furrowed with diamond-shaped pores (lenticels). A beautiful tree for cool summer climates.

• Grows up to 20-50 ft. tall (6-15 m) and 10-30 ft. wide (3-9 m). Short-lived, this tree reproduces rapidly from seed and root suckers to form large colonies.
• A full sun lover, this plant is easily grown in rich, humusy, fertile, consistently moist but well-drained soils. Avoid planting near buildings due to the vigorous root system.
• This beautiful tree may be subject to dieback, leaf spots, rusts, powdery mildew, cankers, caterpillars, borers, aphids, and scale.
• Propagate from hardwood cuttings in winter or suckers in autumn or late winter.
• Native from Canada to Mexico.