Stats

Lifespan: 50-150 yrs
Size: Large
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: North America
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Runners
Defense: Toxins
Status: Common

About

North America's most widespread native tree, the quaking aspen gets its name from its flat-stemmed leaves that tremble in the gentlest breeze. Individual trunks are often part of a single massive clonal organism sharing one root system — a Colorado clone called Pando spans 106 acres and is one of the heaviest living things on Earth.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Salicaceae
Genus: Populus
Species: Populus tremuloides