Aspen
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 and comprise a section of the poplar genus, Populus sect. Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. The flowering plants or angiosperms ( Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta) are the most widespread group Dicotyledons, or "dicots", is a name for a group of Flowering plants whose Seed typically has two embryonic leaves or Cotyledons There The Malpighiales are a large order of Flowering plants included in the group named Eurosids I in the recent APG classification Salicaceae is a family of Flowering plants Recent genetic studies by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG has greatly expanded the circumscription Populus is a genus of between 25–35 species of Flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. Populus alba ( White Poplar) is a species of Poplar, most closely related to the Aspens ( Populus sect Populus tremula ( Aspen, or Common Aspen or Eurasian Aspen to distinguish it from related species) is a species of Poplar Populus tremuloides, also known as American Aspen, Quaking Aspen, Trembling Aspen, Quakies, Quakers, Popple A tree is a perennial Woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or Salicaceae is a family of Flowering plants Recent genetic studies by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG has greatly expanded the circumscription Populus is a genus of between 25–35 species of Flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. Populus. There are six species in the section, one of them atypical, and one hybrid:

• 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. Populus alba ( White Poplar) is a species of Poplar, most closely related to the Aspens ( Populus sect Populus alba ( White Poplar) is a species of Poplar, most closely related to the Aspens ( Populus sect alba × P. tremula)
• Populus tremula: Common, Swedish, 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. Populus tremula ( Aspen, or Common Aspen or Eurasian Aspen to distinguish it from related species) is a species of Poplar Populus tremuloides, also known as American Aspen, Quaking Aspen, Trembling Aspen, Quakies, Quakers, Popple tremuloides)

Leaves

Aspens (apart from the aberrant White Poplar) are distinguished by their nearly round leaves on mature trees, 9–16 cm diameter with irregular rounded teeth. In Botany, a leaf is an above-ground Plant organ specialized for Photosynthesis. 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 poplars; they are also often much larger, 13–26 cm long. Populus is a genus of between 25–35 species of Flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. 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.

Habitat and Longevity

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. Northern Hemisphere is the half of a Planet that is North of the Equator —the word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' A mountain is a Landform that extends above the surrounding Terrain in a limited area with a peak The White Poplar by contrast is native to much warmer regions, with hot, dry summers. They are all medium-sized deciduous trees reaching 15–25 m tall, exceptionally to 30 m. Botany Autumn leaf color. See --> In Botany and Horticulture, deciduous Plants, including A tree is a perennial Woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or

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. "Ramet" redirects here For the commune in Alba County, Romania see Râmeţ. ROOT is an object-oriented program and library developed by CERN. Each tree only lives for 40–150 years 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. For this reason it is considered to be an indicator of ancient woodlands. One such colony in Utah, given the nickname of "Pando", is claimed to be 80,000 years old, making it possibly the oldest living colony. The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States. A nickname is a Name of an entity or thing that is not its Proper name. Pando (or The Trembling Giant) is a Clonal colony of a single male Quaking Aspen ( Populus tremuloides) tree located in the U This is a list of the oldest living organisms. This is usually defined as having a longer Lifespan than other organisms of similar Species (such Some aspen colonies become very large with time, spreading about a metre 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. A wildfire, also known as a wildland fire, forest fire, brush fire, vegetation fire, grass fire, Peat fire,

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.

In contrast with many trees, aspen bark is base-rich, meaning that aspens are important hosts for bryophytes^[1] and act as food plants for the larvae of Lepidoptera species—see List of Lepidoptera that feed on poplars. A larva ( Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of Animal with indirect development, undergoing Metamorphosis (for example Lepidoptera is an order of Insect that includes Moths and butterflies. Poplars ( Populus spp are used as food plants by the Larvae of a large number of Lepidoptera species Monophagous

Why do the leaves quake?

The unusual ability of the leaves of Populus to twist and bend due to the flattened petioles may not be fully understood. It is thought to help protect the trees from severe winds, perhaps by helping dissipate energy more uniformly throughout the canopy. ^[2] It is also thought to improve the rate of photosynthesis throughout the tree by reducing the exposure of the outer leaves to extreme sunlight (thus reducing photoinhibition) by presenting the leaves at an oblique angle to the sun throughout the day, while at the same time allowing more light through to the lower leaves which are generally overshaded. Photoinhibition is a reduction in a plant's (or other photosynthetic organism's capacity for Photosynthesis caused by exposure to strong light (above the saturation point This would enable leaves throughout the tree to photosynthesize more efficiently. ^[3]

Cultural aspects and uses

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. Crucifixion (from Latin crucifixio, noun of process crucifixio, from perfect passive participle crucifixus, fixed to a cross from A German version claims that the aspen was the only tree to refuse to acknowledge the divinity of Jesus. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) The cross that Christ was crucified on is sometimes said to have been aspen wood. As aspens do not occur in Palestine, this legend is improbable. Palestine is a name which has been widely used since Roman times to refer to the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. 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 shepherds in the 19th and 20th century carved texts and figures on aspens of the American Southwest to express their loneliness. The Basques (Euskaldunak are a people who inhabit a region spanning over parts of north-central Spain and southwestern France. Graffiti (singular graffito; the plural is used as a Mass noun) is the name for images or lettering scratched scrawled painted or marked in any manner on property The Basques (Euskaldunak are a people who inhabit a region spanning over parts of north-central Spain and southwestern France.

The wood is white, and soft, but fairly strong, and with very low flammability. Wood is hard fibrous lignified structural tissue produced as secondary Xylem in the stems of Woody plants notably trees but also shrubs 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. A match is a consumable Tool for lighting a Fire under controlled circumstances on demand 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. Phenol, is a toxic colourless Crystalline Solid with a sweet tarry odor commonly referred to as a "hospital smell" Heat treated aspen is a popular material for the interiors of a sauna. A sauna (ˈsɔːnə or as Finnish) is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary

Aspen stakes often figure in Slavic folklore, where they are held to be able to vanquish witches. ^[4]

Gallery

P. tremula (Eurasian Aspen) leaves; adult leaves and shoot left, juvenile leaf right	P. tremuloides (Quaking Aspen) in New Mexico with fall foliage	P. New Mexico ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America. tremuloides (Quaking Aspen) with fall foliage, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada	P. Jasper National Park is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies, spanning 10878 km² (4200 mi² Alberta (ælˈbɝtə is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1 1905 Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page tremuloides (Quaking Aspen), La Sal Mountains
P. The Manti-La Sal National Forest covers 1413111 acres (5718 km² and is located in the southeastern part of the U tremuloides (Quaking Aspen), Little Cottonwood Canyon, Salt Lake County, Utah	P. Little Cottonwood Canyon lies within the Wasatch-Cache National Forest along the eastern border of the Salt Lake Valley Salt Lake County is a County located in the US state of Utah. The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States. tremuloides (Quaking Aspen), Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges Complex	P. The tremuloides (Quaking Aspen), Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges Complex	P. The grandidentata (Bigtooth Aspen) in Massachusetts

References and external links

1. ^ The Biodiversity and Management of Aspen woodlands: Proceedings of a one-day conference held in Kingussie, Scotland, on 25th May 2001
2. ^ William R. Chaney, Purdue University: How Wind Affects Trees
3. ^ Ernest Williams: Field Trip Guide for Utica Marsh: Quaking Aspen
4. ^ Valentina C. Brougher (appendix). Aleksandr Kondratiev, On the Banks of the Yaryn. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2004.

• Aspen Information Resource, U.K.
• Quaking Aspen Forests of the Colorado Plateau