How do you recognise European aspen (Populus tremula)?

Leaf

Liliane Roubaudi, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0

European aspen

Populus tremula L.

Also known as: Aspen, Eurasian aspen

Family: Salicaceae

15 to 25 m tall

Open woodland, woodland edges, pioneer ground

Flowering: February – March

Full sun

Part shade

Very hardy, to -28°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

The flattened petiole makes the leaves tremble at the slightest breath of wind — hence its name. Aspen has rounded leaves with a flattened petiole that makes them tremble in the slightest breeze, whereas black poplar has more triangular leaves with a tapering tip, and thick bark fissured into diamond shapes.

🍃 Leaves

Round, margin wavy-toothed, flattened petiole that makes them tremble in the slightest wind

🌸 Flowers

Silvery-grey catkins before the leaves

🍎 Fruits

Small capsules with cottony seeds

🪵 Bark

Light greyish-green, smooth, with horizontal diamond-shaped patches

🗺️ Distribution

Europe, temperate Asia; common in France, a pioneer of poor soils and clearings

🐝 Value for pollinators

Early catkins producing pollen, of little attraction to insects

✂️ Horticultural uses

Planted as a specimen for the characteristic trembling of its foliage in the slightest wind

⚠️ Possible toxicity

No known toxicity

⚠️ Look-alike species

European aspen

Populus tremula

Black poplar

Populus nigra

Aspen has rounded leaves with a flattened petiole that makes them tremble in the slightest breeze, whereas black poplar has more triangular leaves with a tapering tip, and thick bark fissured into diamond shapes.

European aspen

Populus tremula

White poplar

Populus alba

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.

🌿 Other Salicaceae to discover

White poplar

Populus alba

Weeping willow

Salix × sepulcralis 'Chrysocoma'

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.