Common Aspen (Populus tremula)
Medium-sized tree, often crooked and multi-stemmed. Also forms coppices through suckering. Attractive catkins appear before the leaves. The Common Aspen is one of the toughest pioneering trees and an exclusive source of food for many insect species.
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Appearance
Medium-sized tree, often crooked and multi-stemmed. Also forms coppices through suckering. Attractive catkins appear before the leaves. The Common Aspen is one of the toughest pioneering trees and an exclusive source of food for many insect species.
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Autumn
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Leaves
Ovate leaves, 3-8cm long, 2.5-8cm wide, leaf stem 3-7cm long. Edge with dull serrations. Leaves are dull green above, blue-green below. Luminous yellow in autumn.
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Leaf upperside
Ovate leaves, 3-8cm long, 2.5-8cm wide, leaf stem 3-7cm long. Edge with dull serrations. Leaves are dull green above, blue-green below. Luminous yellow in autumn.
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Leaf underside
Ovate leaves, 3-8cm long, 2.5-8cm wide, leaf stem 3-7cm long. Edge with dull serrations. Leaves are dull green above, blue-green below. Luminous yellow in autumn.
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Flowers
Flowering period III-IV, silvery white male catkins with red stamen, greenish female flower.
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Fruits
Leathery 2-lobed capsule, woolly-white seed 1-1.5mm long.
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Bark
Grey bark is silver-grey and smooth when young, with deep furrows when older. Pale brown in the furrows. Branches are glossy olive green or grey-green.
Application
Open country, afforestation, open fields, pioneer tree, tip afforestation, hillside stabilization, wind-break, forage for honey-bees, parks, urban areas, roadside verges
Native regions
Europe, Central and northern Europe, Southern Europe, Southeastern Europe, Asia Minor, Balkans, Mediterranean countries, Caucasus, Turkey, Northern Asia, Siberia
Location parameters
Light: full sun to slightly shady, temperature: warm to cool, soil: dry to wet, soil structure: firm to airy, soil depth: shallow to deep, compaction: resistant, soil quality: low to high, pH value: 5.0 to 8.0
Demands
Sun to slight shade, heat-tolerant, frost-hardy, undemanding, grows in all substrates, poor or rich in nutrients, acid to alkaline; tolerates urban climates, resistant to wind
Growth
Height of growth: 20m to 30m, spread: 15m to 20m, rapid growth potential, growth habits: wide, loose, erect, spreading, central leader
Leaves
Ovate leaves, 3-8cm long, 2.5-8cm wide, leaf stem 3-7cm long. Edge with dull serrations. Leaves are dull green above, blue-green below. Luminous yellow in autumn.
Flowers
Flowering period III-IV, silvery white male catkins with red stamen, greenish female flower.
Fruits
Leathery 2-lobed capsule, woolly-white seed 1-1.5mm long.
Bark
Grey bark is silver-grey and smooth when young, with deep furrows when older. Pale brown in the furrows. Branches are glossy olive green or grey-green.
Roots
Surface-rooting, heart-rooter, expansive root system