White poplar or European aspen: how to tell them apart?
White poplar and European aspen look alike and are often mixed up. Here is how to tell them apart, feature by feature, with their photos and the details to look for.
⚡ The quick answer
White poplar
Populus alba
European aspen
Populus tremula
Both have foliage that trembles in the wind, but white poplar has white, downy leaf undersides, whereas aspen has leaves that are green on both sides with a long, flattened petiole that causes the trembling.
🍃 Leaves
Lobed like a maple leaf, underside white and felted
Round, margin wavy-toothed, flattened petiole that makes them tremble in the slightest wind
🌸 Flowers
Silvery-grey catkins
Silvery-grey catkins before the leaves
🍎 Fruits
Capsules with cottony seeds
Small capsules with cottony seeds
🪵 Bark
Greyish-white, smooth, marked with dark diamond-shaped patches
Light greyish-green, smooth, with horizontal diamond-shaped patches
📏 Size
20 to 30 m tall
15 to 25 m tall
🗺️ Habitat
Riverbanks, alluvial plains
Open woodland, woodland edges, pioneer ground
⚠️ Toxicity
No known toxicity
No known toxicity
🔎 And from the European aspen side
Both have foliage that trembles in the wind, but white poplar has white, downy leaf undersides, whereas aspen has leaves that are green on both sides with a long, flattened petiole that causes the trembling.
🌿 Go further
Want to practise spotting these details on real photos? Floraneo offers profiles and quizzes for dozens of look-alike species.
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.