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West Virginia Trees

Chapter 43: AMERICAN ASPEN
By A. B. Brooks
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Nature/Gardening/Animals

About This Book

A practical field guide to the native and introduced trees of West Virginia, providing keys based mainly on leaves and fruits, concise family and species descriptions, and detailed line drawings for about 101 native species. It organizes trees by botanical families, gives brief flower notes, a glossary of terms, and suggestions for identifying specimens; occasional introduced species and shrubs are noted. The bulletin emphasizes simplicity for non-specialists, offers measurements and habit descriptions for each species, and includes administrative prefatory material. Its aim is to aid lay readers and students in tree identification and to encourage local interest in forestry.

AMERICAN ASPEN

Populus tremuloides, Michx.

Form.—Height 30-40 feet, diameter 10-20 inches; trunk usually continuous, supporting a rounded loose crown.

Leaves.—Alternate, simple, 1½-2 inches long, roundish, heart-shaped, thin, margins finely serrate; petioles long and slender, permitting the leaves to tremble with the slightest breeze.

Flowers.—April, before the leaves; dioecious; both kinds of flowers on drooping aments.

Fruit.—A 2-valved capsule ¼ inch long; seeds brown, with long, white hairs.

Bark.—Smooth, greenish, sometimes with raised, warty bands and dark blotches below the bases of limbs.

Wood.—Light, soft, not strong nor durable, brownish with lighter sapwood.

Range.—Alaska to Newfoundland south to Pennsylvania and along the mountains to Kentucky, west to California and Mexico; the widest range of any North American species.

Distribution in West Virginia.—Small trees found growing sparingly in the mountain counties; observed in Randolph, Pocahontas, Pendleton, Grant, Tucker, Preston and Upshur counties. Reported from Calhoun, Gilmer, Monongalia, Mason, Summers and Wirt counties.

Habitat.—Prefers sandy and gravelly soils, but thrives on others; frequent in high cut-over areas which have been burned.

Notes.—This tree, which is locally known as Quaking Asp, can be distinguished from the other poplars by its finely-toothed tremulous leaves. The species is not important in West Virginia, and is seldom used for any purpose.