Big Tooth Aspen
Populus grandidentata Michx.

Also known as Popple.

Mature Size: 60 to 80 feet in height and 10 to 20 inches in diameter.

Form: Straight trunk and thin, irregular crown.

Habitat: Moist, fertile, sandy uplands.

Leaves

Alternate, generally oval, 3 to 4 inches long, with large blunt teeth; green above and paler below; leaf stalk flattened.

Flowers

On hanging, 2- to 3-inch, fuzzy catkins, appearing before the leaves; males and females on separate trees.

Fruit

¼ inch long capsules that split to release tiny cottony seeds.

Bark

Thin, gray, olive-green to milky green and smooth on young stems; later gray- brown, ridged with diamond shaped pores and splits.

Twigs

Medium-textured, gray-brown; buds egg-shaped, pointed, red-brown to gray and slightly fuzzy; leaf scars raised and heart shaped.

Values and Uses

Although seldom harvested in Virginia, the wood can be used for paper pulp, particle board, structural panels, pallets, boxes and pelletized fuel. Aspens are a primary food source for ruffed grouse, which eat the catkins and buds. Deer and beavers also feed on aspen. Aspens are a pioneer species, stabilizing soil on disturbed sites.

Did You Know?

Despite the high production of seed, seedlings do not commonly occur in nature. Instead, suckering or sprouting from the roots, is the most common mode of reproduction. Aspen quickly colonizes disturbed sites, sometimes resulting in large, pure stands. Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), a related species, is rare in Virginia, but common farther north and west. It grows in large stands and has finely toothed leaves, which turn a beautiful clear yellow in fall.