Populus tremula
Populus tremula is a substantial deciduous tree growing to as much as 130 feet tall. It is commonly called aspen, common aspen, Eurasian aspen, European aspen, or quaking aspen, is a species of poplar native to cool temperate regions of Europe and Asia, from Iceland and the British Isles east to Kamchatka, north to inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia and northern Russia, and south to central Spain, Turkey, the Tian Shan, North Korea, and northern Japan.
The have male or female catkins and are wind pollenated. Their tiny seeds are surrounded by fluff and are also dispersed on the wind. Like other aspens, it spreads extensively by suckers (root sprouts), which may be produced up to 40 m from the parent tree and so they can create extensive colonies. Aspens support many species of insects and fungi. As the Woodland Trust says: “Trembling, fluttering and shimmering in the slightest breeze. The rippling leaves of this beautiful tree give it its name: quaking aspen.”
Funky Facts File: According to folklore, an aspen leaf under the tongue bestows eloquence, usually a gift from the faery queen
