Trembling Aspen
Plants of the The Taiga PlainsBalsam Poplar | Black Spruce | Cloudberry | Horsetail | Red Osier Dogwood Scrub Birch | Siberian Yarrow | Sphagnum Moss | Tamarck Trembling Aspen | White Spruce Populus tremuloides
photo: Lenz
AppearanceLeaves are round with a triangle pointed tip. They have a long flat stem, so the leaf 'trembles' in the wind. Aspen has greenish-white bark. Range & HabitatThis beautiful tree is found in the southern part of the Southern Interior Ecoprovinces. It is happy growing in a variety of habitats, from the borders of the grasslands to the moist open forests of the surrounding mountains. It cannot survive in wet areas like bogs, marshes, or swamps. In BC this plant also grows in the Central Interior, Southern Interior Mountains, Taiga Plains and Northern Boreal Mountains Ecoprovinces. Life CycleThe Trembling Aspen is quick growing but does not live for more than 50 years. Aspen can sprout from suckers so one plant can be exactly the same as many other trees in a grove. Some scientists think that aspen groves are only one tree that has spread with suckers, and that an aspen grove could be the largest living thing in the world. Animal UsesFavourite food of beaver, moose, elk and deer. Traditional First Nations UsesThe inner bark was used for food (raw or roasted) and wood was also used for tent poles, fuels, and canoes. Rotten wood was used to line babies' cradles because it was soft and bark and roots were chewed and applied to wounds to stop bleeding. Modern UsesUsed for pulp, wafer-board, and chopsticks. Early settlers derived a water-purifying substance from the inner bark. They also boiled branches to make a cleanser for guns and traps and to remove human scent from hunters. Status
COSEWIC: Not at Risk
More Informationhttp://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/wilderness/forest/tremasp.htm |
