Difference between revisions of "Aspen" - New World Encyclopedia

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'''Aspens''' are [[tree]]s of the [[Salicaceae|willow]] family and comprise a section of the [[poplar]] genus, ''Populus'' sect. ''Populus''. Aspens are [[dioecious]], so individual trees are either male or female, in contrast to most trees,  where male and female flowers occur on the same tree. (TREES FOR LIFE) There are six species in the section, one of them atypical, and one hybrid.
+
'''Aspens''' are [[tree]]s of the [[Salicaceae|willow]] family (Salicaceae) and comprise one group (section) of the [[poplar]] genus—''Populus'' section ''Populus''—with six [[species]]. The poplar [[genus]], which is generally divided into six sections includes the cottonwoods and poplars as well, all of which sometimes are called poplars.  
−
*''[[Populus tremula]]'': Common, Trembling or Eurasian Aspen (northern Europe & Asia)
 
−
*''[[Populus tremuloides]]'': Quaking, Trembling or American Aspen (northern & western North America)
 
−
*''[[Populus grandidentata]]'': Bigtooth Aspen (eastern North America, south of ''P. tremuloides'')
 
−
*''[[Populus adenopoda]]'': Chinese Aspen (China, south of ''P. tremula'')
 
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*''[[Populus sieboldii]]'': Japanese Aspen (Japan)
 
−
*''[[White Poplar|Populus alba]]'': White Poplar (northwest Africa, southern Europe, east to central Asia)
 
−
*''[[White Poplar|Populus × canescens]]'': Grey Poplar (hybrid ''P. alba'' × ''P. tremula'')
 
−
==Physical Characteristics and Identification==
 
−
Aspens are all medium-sized [[deciduous]] [[tree]]s reaching 15–25 meters tall, sometimes reaching 30 meters. Aspens (apart from the aberrant White Poplar) are distinguished by their nearly round [[leaf|leaves]] on mature trees, 4–12 cm in diameter with irregular rounded teeth. They are carried on strongly flattened leaf stems, which enable the leaves to twist and flutter in the slightest of breezes. The juvenile leaves on young seedlings and root sprouts differ markedly from the adult leaves, nearly triangular, showing here the typical leaf shape of most other [[poplar]]s; they are also often much larger, 10–20 cm long. The five typical aspens are distinguished from each other by leaf size and the size and spacing of the teeth on the adult leaves. White Poplar leaves differ in being deeply five-lobed, covered in thick white down, and having only a slightly flattened leaf stem.
 
  
−
==Natural Range and Distribution==
+
As with the poplars, aspens are deciduous, and their [[leaf|leaves]] turn bright colors before they fall. Like many poplars, the leaves have laterally flattened stems, so the breezes easily cause the leaves to wobble back and forth, giving the whole tree a "twinkling" appearance in a breeze.
 +
{{toc}}
 +
Aspens add [[ecology|ecological]] value as habitats and/or food for [[insect]]s, [[bird]]s, [[beaver]]s, and so forth, and commercial value for producing a variety of products for [[human being|humans]], including matchsticks, furniture parts, tongue depressors, and ice cream sticks. However, aspens also create an aesthetic value for people, touching upon the human internal nature, with the beauty of their unique quivering movement of leaves and the rich fall colors adding to the enjoyment of [[nature]].
  
−
The five typical aspens are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the far north of the [[Northern Hemisphere]], extending south only at high altitudes in [[mountain]]s. ''Populus Alba'' or White Poplar by contrast is native to much warmer regions, with hot, dry summers and is native to Africa and Asia.
+
==Species==
  
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''Populus tremloides'' or Quaking Aspen extends from [[Newfoundland]] and [[Labrador]] west across[[ Canada]]. The northern limit of extends from northwestern[[ Alaska]], and southeast through [[Yukon]] and [[British Columbia]]. Throughout the Western United States it is mostly in the [[Rocky Mountains]] and the mountains from [[Washington]] to[[ California]]. Across the southern teir of the United States it covers [[Arizona]], Trans-Pecos [[Texas]], and north to [[Nebraska]].  
+
There are six [[species]] in the section, one of them atypical, and one hybrid.  
  
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In the central or mid-west part of the United States, ''pupolus grandidentata'' or Bigtooth Aspen extends from [[Iowa]] and eastern [[Missouri]] and east to [[West Virginia]], western [[Virginia]], [[Pennsylvania]], and [[New Jersey]]. Quaking aspen is also found in the mountains of[[ Mexico]], as far south as Guanajuato.  
+
*''[[Populus tremula]]'' - Common aspen, trembling aspen, or Eurasian aspen (northern Europe & Asia)
 +
*''[[Populus tremuloides]]'' - Quaking aspen, trembling aspen, or American aspen (northern & western North America)
 +
*''[[Populus grandidentata]]'' - Bigtooth aspen (eastern [[North America]], south of ''P. tremuloides'')
 +
*''[[Populus adenopoda]]'' - Chinese aspen ([[China]], south of ''P. tremula'')
 +
*''[[Populus sieboldii]]'' - Japanese aspen ([[Japan]])
 +
*''[[White Poplar|Populus alba]]'' - White poplar (northwest [[Africa]], southern [[Europe]], east to central [[Asia]])
 +
**''[[White Poplar|Populus × canescens]]'' - Grey poplar (hybrid ''P. alba'' × ''P. tremula'')
  
−
Worldwide, only ''Populus tremula'', European aspen, and ''Pinus sylvestris'', Scotch pine, have wider natural ranges. (ABOUT TREES)
+
==Physical Characteristics and Identification==
 +
Aspens are all medium-sized [[deciduous]] [[tree]]s reaching ten to 20 meters tall, sometimes even 30 meters.  
  
−
==Growth and Propogation==
+
Aspens (apart from the aberrant White Poplar) are distinguished by their nearly round [[leaf|leaves]] on mature trees, four to 12 centimeters in diameter with irregular rounded teeth. They are carried on strongly flattened leaf stems, which enable the leaves to twist and flutter in the slightest of breezes.  
−
Aspens flower in March and April, before the leaves appear, with both the male and female trees producing catkins (slim, cylendrical flower clusters WIKICATKIN). Pollinated female catkins ripen in early summer and release tiny seeds (each weighing about one ten-thousandth of a gram) which are tufted with hairs.
 
  
−
However, aspen's main method of reproduction is vegetative, with new suckers, or ramets (vascular bundles, the intra-net system of plants-VCBIO), growing off the roots of mature trees. The numbers of new shoots produced in this way can be very prolific, especially after a major disturbance such as fire, with the density of ramets reaching 70,000 per hectacre. Aspen has an extensive root system, and ramets have been recorded growing up to 40 meters from a parent tree. Because of their access to nutrients through the parent tree's root system, aspen ramets can grow very quickly - up to a meter per year for the first few years. As the ramets grow, they remain joined through their roots, and all the interconnected trees are called a clone. They are all the same individual organism and are therefore all single-sexed, either male or female. Each clone exhibits synchronous behaviour, with, for example, all the component trees coming into leaf at the same time in the spring. A clone or cology can also sometimes be identified by the specific colour its leaves change to in the autumn. (TREES FOR LIFE)
+
The juvenile leaves on young seedlings and root sprouts differ markedly from the adult leaves, being nearly triangular, showing here the typical leaf shape of most other [[poplar]]s. These leafs often are much larger also, being ten to 20 cm long.  
  
−
Each tree only lives for 20–150 years, depending upon the species, above ground, but the root system of the colony is long-lived, in some cases for many thousands of years, sending up new trunks as the older trunks die off above ground. One such colony in [[Utah]], given the [[nickname]] of [[Pando (Quaking Aspen)|"Pando"]], is claimed to be 80,000 years old, making it possibly the [[list of long-living organisms|oldest living colony]]. Some aspen colonies become very large with time, spreading about a meter per year, eventually covering many hectacres. They are able to survive intense [[wildfire|forest fires]] as the roots are below the heat of the fire, with new sprouts growing after the fire is out. However, aspens do not thrive very well in the shade, and it is difficult for aspen seedlings to grow in an already mature aspen stand. Fire indirectly benefits aspen trees, as it allows the saplings to flourish in open sunlight on account of the burned landscape. Lately aspen has increased its popularity in forestry, mostly because of its fast growth rate and ability to regenerate from sprouts, which makes the regeneration of the forest after harvesting much cheaper, as no planting or sowing is required.
+
The five typical aspens are distinguished from each other by leaf size and the size and spacing of the teeth on the adult leaves. White Poplar leaves differ in being deeply five-lobed, covered in thick white down, and having only a slightly flattened leaf stem.
  
−
==Pests and Diseases==
+
==Natural Range and Distribution==
−
In the urban landscape, even properly cared-for aspen may not reach 20 years. Life spans can be shortened further by one or more of several insects or diseases that attack aspen. Fungal diseases, such as Cytospora or other cankers which attack the trunk, are common, as are diseases of the foliage such as rusts, or leaf spots. Of the many insects that attack urban plantings of aspen, oystershell scale, aphids and aspen twiggall fly are most prevalent."
 
−
Remember that aspens are very sensitive to many environmental problems and are host to more than five hundred species of parasites, berbivores, diseases, and other harmfull agents. (ABOUT TREES)
 
  
−
==Uses==
+
Aspen trees have the widest distribution of any native tree species in [[North America]], and worldwide—the only trees with wider natural ranges are ''Populus tremula'' (European aspen) and ''Pinus sylvestris'' (Scotch pine) (Nix 2007).
−
The [[wood]] is white, and soft, but fairly strong, and with very low flammability. It has a number of uses, notably for making [[match]]es, where its low flammability makes it safer to use (easy to blow out) than most other woods. Shredded aspen wood is also a popular animal bedding, as it lacks the [[phenol]]s associated with pine and juniper, which are thought to cause respiratory ailments in some animals. Heat treated aspen is a popular material for the interiors of a [[sauna]]. As a commercial wood product, it is of low value.
 
  
−
==Cultural Images and Tales==
+
The five typical aspens are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the far north of the [[Northern Hemisphere]], extending south only at high altitudes in [[mountain]]s, although quaking aspen is found in the mountains of [[Mexico]] (Nix 2007). ''Populus Alba'' (white poplar) by contrast is native to much warmer regions, with hot, dry summers, and is native to [[Africa]] and [[Asia]].  
−
The aspen tree's quivering leaves are, in Christian lore, said to be the result of arrogance at the [[Crucifixion]] because the aspen did not tremble like other trees. A German version claims that the aspen was the only tree to refuse to acknowledge the divinity of [[Jesus]]. The cross that Christ was crucified on is sometimes said to have been aspen wood.(KIDS NETWORK) As aspens do not occur in [[Palestine]], this legend is improbable. Another old saying was that aspen leaves are made from female tongues, and their quivering is due to women's inability to stop talking.  
 
  
−
Emigrant [[Basque people|Basque]] shepherds in the 19th and 20th century [[graffiti|carved texts and figures]] on aspens of the [[Basque people#The Basque diaspora|American Southwest]] to express their loneliness.
+
''Populus tremloides'' or quaking aspen, is considered to be the most widely distributed [[species]] of tree in North America, extending from from [[Newfoundland]] and [[Labrador]] west across [[Canada]] to Alaska, from Minnesota to New Jersey, and through the western [[United States]] to the mountains of northern Mexico (Rook 2002).
  
 +
==Growth and propagation==
  
−
Aspen and its leaves have been noted and used by some of the most famous in literature.  
+
Aspens are [[dioecious]] (trees are either male or female).  
  
−
"In the [[Hopkins]] poem there is a ‘vague fearfulness’ that is associated with tenderness and vulnerability.  
+
Aspens typically flower in March and April, prior to the appearance of the [[leaf|leaves]] (TL 2007). Both male and female trees produce catkins (slim, cylindrical flower clusters), with female catkins, after pollination, ripening in early summer, releasing tiny sees (TL 2007).
  
−
In the following exchange between the Hostess and Doll in [[Shakespeare]]’s [[Henry IV]] Part Two, the extrovert and ‘swaggering’ type is contrasted with the trembling and fearful '''Aspen''' type:
+
Aspen's main reproductive method, however, is vegetative, with new suckers or ramets (vascular bundles, the intra-net system of plants), growing off the roots of mature trees (TL 2007). This method can be very prolific, with numerous new shoots produced, particularly after a major disturbance such as fire (TL 2007).
  
−
*Hostess: But I do not love swaggering, by my troth; I am the worse when one says swagger. Feel, masters, how I do shake, look you, I warrant you.
+
All the aspens (including White Poplar) typically grow in large colonies derived from a single seedling, and spreading by means of root suckers; new stems in the colony may appear at up to 30–40 m from the parent tree. Each tree only lives for 20–150 years, depending upon the species.  
  
−
*Doll: So you do, hostess.
+
Aspen has an extensive root system (TL 2007). Although trees live less than 150 years, the root system of the colony, on the other hand is long-lived, in some cases for many thousands of years, sending up new trunks as the older trunks die off above ground. One such colony in Utah ([[United States]]), given the nickname of "Pando," is claimed to be 80,000 years old, making it possibly the oldest living colony.  
  
−
*Hostess: Do I? Yea, in very truth, do I, an ’twere an '''aspen leaf'''. I cannot abide swaggerers.
+
Some aspen colonies become very large with time, spreading about a meter per year, eventually covering many hectares. They are able to survive intense forest fires as the roots are below the heat of the fire, with new sprouts growing after the fire is out. However, aspens do not thrive very well in the shade, and it is difficult for aspen seedlings to grow in an already mature aspen stand. Fire indirectly benefits aspen trees, as it allows the saplings to flourish in open sunlight on account of the burned landscape. Lately, aspen has increased its popularity in forestry, mostly because of its fast growth rate and ability to regenerate from sprouts, which makes the regeneration of the forest after harvesting much cheaper, as no planting or sowing is required.
−
 
−
*This is of course humorous, but we can still hear the trembling in the nervous short phrases (‘Feel, masters, how I do shake, look you, I warrant you.’).
 
  
−
[[Tennyson]] often refers to '''Aspens'''; they contribute to wistful Pre-Raphaelite landscapes as in The Lady of Shalott:
+
==Uses==
−
 
+
Aspen [[wood]] is white, and soft, but fairly strong, and with very low flammability. It has a number of uses, notably for making [[match]]es, where its low flammability makes it safer to use (easy to blow out) than most other woods.  
−
*Willows whiten, '''aspens''' quiver,
 
−
*Little breezes dusk and shiver . . .
 
  
−
But in his long poem Lancelot and Elaine, [[Tennyson]] develops the''' Aspen''' association more interestingly. The wounded Sir Lancelot is cared for by a hermit living in a copse of '''aspen trees''':
+
It is commonly used in pulp products (such as newsprint and books), insulation board, particleboard, and is preferred for structural flakeboard, as well as is good for furniture parts, pallets, interior trim, paneling, ice cream sticks, tongue depressors, and toys (Rook 2002). [[Heat]] treated aspen is a popular material for the interiors of a [[sauna]].
  
−
*Then came the hermit out and bare him in,
+
Shredded aspen wood is also a popular [[animal]] bedding, as it lacks the [[phenol]]s associated with [[pine]] and [[juniper]], which are thought to cause respiratory ailments in some animals.  
−
*There stanched his wound; and there, in daily doubt
 
−
*Whether to live or die, for many a week
 
−
*Hid from the wide world's rumour by the grove
 
−
*Of poplars with their noise of falling showers,
 
−
*And ever-tremulous aspen-trees, he lay.
 
−
*Hiding away from ‘the wide world’s rumour’ when the life force is at its lowest ebb seems appropriate for '''Aspen'''. But the positive aspect of this *condition is also clearly expressed: it is in this same Aspen copse that Lancelot recovers his strength so that he can return to ‘the wide world’, to the *tragedy of Elaine’s unrequited love for him, and to the eventual transformation anticipated in the poem’s last lines (‘So groaned Sir Lancelot in *remorseful pain, / Not knowing he should die a holy man.’).
 
−
 
−
[[Keats]] is another English poet who uses the''' Aspen image''' both lightly and more resonantly. A typical and relatively ‘light’ use may be found in the third book of Endymion where the sage is described as ‘trembling like an aspen-bough’ while performing the momentous act of tearing up a prophetic scroll:
 
  
−
*He spake, and, trembling like an '''aspen-bough''',
+
As a commercial wood product, it has been of low demand, but its commercial value has been increasing in recent years (Rook 2002).  
−
*Began to tear his scroll in pieces small . . .
 
  
−
Another of [[Keats]]'s long poems, Hyperion, opens with a description of ‘gray-hair’d Saturn’, one of the pre-Olympian gods who fell from power when Zeus vanquished the Titans. We meet him as a ‘fallen divinity’ being consoled by the Titaness Thea, to whom he laments
+
==Cultural images and tales==
 +
The aspen tree's quivering leaves are, in [[Christian]] lore, said to be the result of arrogance at the [[Crucifixion]] because the aspen did not tremble like other trees. A [[Germany|German]] version claims that the aspen was the only tree to refuse to acknowledge the divinity of [[Jesus]]. The cross that Christ was crucified on is sometimes said to have been aspen wood.
  
−
*. . . I have left
+
Emigrant [[Basque people|Basque]] shepherds in the nineteenth and twentieth century carved texts and figures on aspens of the American Southwest to express their loneliness.
−
*My strong identity, my real self,
 
−
*Somewhere between the throne, and where I sit
 
−
*Here on this spot of earth.
 
−
*When Thea first appears, he is so ‘frozen’ that he fails to see her
 
−
*Until at length old Saturn lifted up
 
−
*His faded eyes, and saw his kingdom gone,
 
−
*And all the gloom and sorrow of the place,
 
−
*And that fair kneeling Goddess; and then spake,
 
−
*As with a palsied tongue, and while his beard
 
−
*Shook horrid with such '''aspen-malady''' . . .’
 
−
 
−
In [[Tennyson]]’s [[Arthurian]] poem there is an association between '''Aspen''' and a wounded hero hiding from the world, but here Aspen (Keats the former medical student writes ‘aspen-malady’) is associated with something far more dislocated: a dethroned god who has ‘left his real self’. If we are haunted by irrational fears, we have surely left our real selves. Is this where the discipline of Bach flower therapy meets the discipline of archetypal psychology? These are provocative remarks which show, I hope, how the associations between flowers and ‘states of being’ made (maybe half-unconsciously) by poets can add to our experience of the conditions with which this therapy deals." (IN LITERATURE)
 
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
−
* Trees for Life {http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/tfl.aspen.html Species Profile-Aspen] Retrieved March 27,2007
+
* Barnes, B. V. “The clonal growth habit of American aspens.” ''Ecology'' 47: 439-447, 1966.
−
* [http://forestry.about.com/od/hardwoods/ss/aspen.htm ABOUT TREES] Retrieved March 27, 2007
+
* Nix, S. [http://forestry.about.com/od/hardwoods/ss/aspen.htm Aspen tree: One of the 100 most common North American trees] ''About.inc, The New York Times Company'', 2007. Retrieved August 17, 2007.
−
* [http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/as/Aspen KIDS NETWORK] Retrieved March, 27, 2007
+
* Rook, E. J. S. [http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/trees/populustrem.html ''Populas tremuloides'': Quaking aspen] ''Rook.org'', 2002. Retrieved August 17, 2007.
−
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catkin WIKICATKIN] Retrieved March 27, 2007
+
* Trees for Life. [http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/tfl.aspen.html Species profile: Aspen] ''Treesforlife.com'', 2007. Retrieved August 17, 2007.
−
* [http://www.vcbio.science.ru.nl/en/fesem/applets/vein/ VCBIO] Retrieved March 27, 2007
 
−
* [http://www.edwardbach.org/creative_Poetry_aspen2ndpiece.htm IN LITERATURE] Retrieved March 7, 2007
 
−
{{Credit|117627282}}
 
  
 +
==External Links==
 +
All links retrieved August 18, 2023.
  
−
* Zohary, D., and M. Hopf. 2000. ''Domestication of Plants in the Old World'', third edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198503571.
+
*[http://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?id=122 Arbor Day Foundation]  
−
* The Clemson University Extension Service {http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC2202.htm]. Clemson University: ''The Clemson University Extension Service'' Home & Garden Information Center HGIC-2002. Retrieved March 18, 2007.
 
−
 
 
−
==External Links==
 
−
*[http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/tfl.aspen_info_resource.html Aspen Information Resource, U.K.]
 
−
*[http://www.cpluhna.nau.edu/Biota/aspen_forest.htm Quaking Aspen Forests of the Colorado Plateau]
 
−
*[http://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?id=122 Arbor Day Foundation]
 
−
*[http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/tfl.aspen.html Trees for Life]
 
−
*[http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_p018/rmrs_p018_355_366.pdf Ecosystem of Aspens]
 
−
*[http://www.aspenchamber.org City of Aspen, Colorado]
 
  
 +
{{Credit|117627282}}
 
[[Category:Life sciences]]
 
[[Category:Life sciences]]
 +
[[Category:Plants]]

Latest revision as of 04:51, 18 August 2023


Aspen
A Quaking Aspen grove
A Quaking Aspen grove
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Salicaceae
Genus: Populus
Section: Populus
Species

Populus adenopoda
Populus alba
Populus grandidentata
Populus sieboldii
Populus tremula
Populus tremuloides

Aspens are trees of the willow family (Salicaceae) and comprise one group (section) of the poplar genus—Populus section Populus—with six species. The poplar genus, which is generally divided into six sections includes the cottonwoods and poplars as well, all of which sometimes are called poplars.

As with the poplars, aspens are deciduous, and their leaves turn bright colors before they fall. Like many poplars, the leaves have laterally flattened stems, so the breezes easily cause the leaves to wobble back and forth, giving the whole tree a "twinkling" appearance in a breeze.

Aspens add ecological value as habitats and/or food for insects, birds, beavers, and so forth, and commercial value for producing a variety of products for humans, including matchsticks, furniture parts, tongue depressors, and ice cream sticks. However, aspens also create an aesthetic value for people, touching upon the human internal nature, with the beauty of their unique quivering movement of leaves and the rich fall colors adding to the enjoyment of nature.

Species

There are six species in the section, one of them atypical, and one hybrid.

  • Populus tremula - Common aspen, trembling aspen, or Eurasian aspen (northern Europe & Asia)
  • Populus tremuloides - Quaking aspen, trembling aspen, or American aspen (northern & western North America)
  • Populus grandidentata - Bigtooth aspen (eastern North America, south of P. tremuloides)
  • Populus adenopoda - Chinese aspen (China, south of P. tremula)
  • Populus sieboldii - Japanese aspen (Japan)
  • Populus alba - White poplar (northwest Africa, southern Europe, east to central Asia)
    • Populus × canescens - Grey poplar (hybrid P. alba × P. tremula)

Physical Characteristics and Identification

Aspens are all medium-sized deciduous trees reaching ten to 20 meters tall, sometimes even 30 meters.

Aspens (apart from the aberrant White Poplar) are distinguished by their nearly round leaves on mature trees, four to 12 centimeters in diameter with irregular rounded teeth. They are carried on strongly flattened leaf stems, which enable the leaves to twist and flutter in the slightest of breezes.

The juvenile leaves on young seedlings and root sprouts differ markedly from the adult leaves, being nearly triangular, showing here the typical leaf shape of most other poplars. These leafs often are much larger also, being ten to 20 cm long.

The five typical aspens are distinguished from each other by leaf size and the size and spacing of the teeth on the adult leaves. White Poplar leaves differ in being deeply five-lobed, covered in thick white down, and having only a slightly flattened leaf stem.

Natural Range and Distribution

Aspen trees have the widest distribution of any native tree species in North America, and worldwide—the only trees with wider natural ranges are Populus tremula (European aspen) and Pinus sylvestris (Scotch pine) (Nix 2007).

The five typical aspens are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the far north of the Northern Hemisphere, extending south only at high altitudes in mountains, although quaking aspen is found in the mountains of Mexico (Nix 2007). Populus Alba (white poplar) by contrast is native to much warmer regions, with hot, dry summers, and is native to Africa and Asia.

Populus tremloides or quaking aspen, is considered to be the most widely distributed species of tree in North America, extending from from Newfoundland and Labrador west across Canada to Alaska, from Minnesota to New Jersey, and through the western United States to the mountains of northern Mexico (Rook 2002).

Growth and propagation

Aspens are dioecious (trees are either male or female).

Aspens typically flower in March and April, prior to the appearance of the leaves (TL 2007). Both male and female trees produce catkins (slim, cylindrical flower clusters), with female catkins, after pollination, ripening in early summer, releasing tiny sees (TL 2007).

Aspen's main reproductive method, however, is vegetative, with new suckers or ramets (vascular bundles, the intra-net system of plants), growing off the roots of mature trees (TL 2007). This method can be very prolific, with numerous new shoots produced, particularly after a major disturbance such as fire (TL 2007).

All the aspens (including White Poplar) typically grow in large colonies derived from a single seedling, and spreading by means of root suckers; new stems in the colony may appear at up to 30–40 m from the parent tree. Each tree only lives for 20–150 years, depending upon the species.

Aspen has an extensive root system (TL 2007). Although trees live less than 150 years, the root system of the colony, on the other hand is long-lived, in some cases for many thousands of years, sending up new trunks as the older trunks die off above ground. One such colony in Utah (United States), given the nickname of "Pando," is claimed to be 80,000 years old, making it possibly the oldest living colony.

Some aspen colonies become very large with time, spreading about a meter per year, eventually covering many hectares. They are able to survive intense forest fires as the roots are below the heat of the fire, with new sprouts growing after the fire is out. However, aspens do not thrive very well in the shade, and it is difficult for aspen seedlings to grow in an already mature aspen stand. Fire indirectly benefits aspen trees, as it allows the saplings to flourish in open sunlight on account of the burned landscape. Lately, aspen has increased its popularity in forestry, mostly because of its fast growth rate and ability to regenerate from sprouts, which makes the regeneration of the forest after harvesting much cheaper, as no planting or sowing is required.

Uses

Aspen wood is white, and soft, but fairly strong, and with very low flammability. It has a number of uses, notably for making matches, where its low flammability makes it safer to use (easy to blow out) than most other woods.

It is commonly used in pulp products (such as newsprint and books), insulation board, particleboard, and is preferred for structural flakeboard, as well as is good for furniture parts, pallets, interior trim, paneling, ice cream sticks, tongue depressors, and toys (Rook 2002). Heat treated aspen is a popular material for the interiors of a sauna.

Shredded aspen wood is also a popular animal bedding, as it lacks the phenols associated with pine and juniper, which are thought to cause respiratory ailments in some animals.

As a commercial wood product, it has been of low demand, but its commercial value has been increasing in recent years (Rook 2002).

Cultural images and tales

The aspen tree's quivering leaves are, in Christian lore, said to be the result of arrogance at the Crucifixion because the aspen did not tremble like other trees. A German version claims that the aspen was the only tree to refuse to acknowledge the divinity of Jesus. The cross that Christ was crucified on is sometimes said to have been aspen wood.

Emigrant Basque shepherds in the nineteenth and twentieth century carved texts and figures on aspens of the American Southwest to express their loneliness.

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