# Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)

> A slender tree with smooth chalky-white bark marked with black scars and nearly round leaves on flattened stalks that tremble in the slightest breeze and turn brilliant gold in fall. It spreads by root suckers into clonal groves, so it is a grove or naturalized-area tree rather than a lawn specimen; individual stems are short-lived, brittle and prone to cankers and borers, especially in hot lowland cities.

Source: https://treerm.org/trees/populus-tremuloides · Updated 2026-11-08 · License CC BY 4.0

## Facts

- Also called: Trembling aspen, American aspen
- Family: Salicaceae
- Type: Broadleaf, drops leaves
- Mature height: 14 m; spread 7 m
- Growth: Fast growing; lives about 80 years
- USDA hardiness zones: 1 to 6
- Light: Full sun
- Water: Moderate water
- Soil: Tolerates rocky, sandy, clay and alkaline soils, wet or dry; must have full sun
- Native range: The most widely distributed tree in North America, from Alaska and every Canadian province south through the northern United States and the Rocky Mountains to Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico.

**Benefits:** Fall color, Fast canopy, Wildlife, Birds, Holds soil, Flood tolerant

**Good for:** Reforestation, parks, Streambanks, Yard shade

**Watch out for:** Short lived, Weak wood, Surface roots, Pest prone

## Care

Transplants poorly, so plant small container stock in a cool, sunny, moist spot and expect to remove suckers. Water regularly while establishing. Prune dead wood in dormancy. Cytospora and hypoxylon cankers, poplar borers, leaf spots and tent caterpillars are common on stressed trees; 'Prairie Gold' tolerates heat better.

## Where it stands

- **Native:** Canada (Native in every province and territory.); United States (Native across Alaska, the northern tier of states and the Rocky Mountains south to Arizona and New Mexico (more than 15 states); state tree of Utah.)
- **Recommended:** Calgary, AB, Canada (On the City of Calgary Top Tree Species for Calgary list)

## Sources

- https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/populus-tremuloides/
- https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/trees-and-plants/quaking-aspen/
- https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/POTR5
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populus_tremuloides