Quaking Aspen / Spring / Summer / Edible
Quaking Aspen (Populus Tremuloides) is a Poplar species that tolerates cold conditions. It is a smaller tree than most Poplars, that grows in cool regions across the whole of Europe and west Asia. (The American Aspen is a different species). It is more likely to be found in the north and west of Britain and is common in the Scottish Highlands. It is typically found in oak or birch woodland.
Common Names
Quaking Aspen. The name Aspen is from the Old English word ‘aespe‘ which means ‘shaking tree’.
Botanical Name
Populus tremuloides
Scientific Classification
– Kingdom: Plantae
– Order: Malpighiales or Rhizophorales
– Family: Salicaceae
Physical Characteristics of Quaking Aspen
Leaves
Its leaves are simple, alternate, and deciduous. Each leaf is rounded, broadly oval, or triangular. They have a rounded or a straight base and a pointed tip. About 3-5 cm long. They are thin and smooth on both sides but are shiny green above and are dull or silvery green below. The lower side has a 3 prominent leaf veins. The leaves have fine, saw-toothed margins with numerous pairs of blunt, rounded teeth. These leaves turn a golden yellow in the autumn.
Buds
Its terminal buds are conical, shiny, sharp-pointed, and about 1 cm long. Its lateral buds are smaller, downy and in-curved. The bud scales are red-brown and are overlapping. These buds are not fragrant.
Flowers
Its flowers are dioecious. There are more male trees than female trees. Their catkins are about 2-6 cm long. The male catkins are longer, grey, and fuzzy. Each male flower has 6-12 stamens with red anthers. The female catkins are green and smooth. Each female flower has a scarlet conical ovary, a short thick style, and 2 stigmas with 2 lobes each. These flowers are wind pollinated. Flowering season is March to May.
Trunk
Its trunk is erect, straight, slender, and tall. Its height is 20-100 feet. Its trunk diameter is ½-3 feet.
When the wood decays, Wood Ducks, Owls and Woodpeckers are among the species that will nest within the hollowed trunk.
Bark
Its young bark is smooth and is creamy white, grey, or greenish white with horizontal dark marking. Its older bark is rough, furrowed and ridged, and is grey-brown to dark grey. The bark does not peel.
Seeds
ts seeds are small, yellow-green, lightweight, and have tangled, white, cottony, and long tufted hairs at their base. Western populations of this tree rarely produce seeds. These seeds are dispersed by wind or by water. They need to touch bare soil to germinate or they will lose their viability and will deteriorate within 1-2 weeks.
Habitat
It can grow in a variety of soils, especially sandy and rocky one’s. They are found in open woods, thickets, open fields, and roadsides. It does not tolerate wetlands. This tree is a pioneer species that colonises open disturbed areas, such as after fires or after logging operations.
They are both fast-growing and short-lived trees. They are highly intolerant to shade and to urban pollution.
Known Hazards
Not known.
Quaking Aspen Could be Confused with
Silver Birch due to the similarity in the overall look, however the key is that Quaking Aspen bark doesn’t peel and silver birch does. There’s other differences but for me that’s the key.
Edible Uses of Quaking Aspen
Quaking Aspen had some edible uses. The sweet, sugary inner bark (some say it is bitter) was used for food. It was stripped, chopped, and dried or boiled and mixed with flour. The inner bark can be eaten raw or cooked.
The sap was used as a sweet beverage. The sap can be boiled own into syrup, like Maple (Genus Acer), but is impractical.
The leaves, which contain about 20-30% protein, are edible but bitter.
The light powdery substance upon the bark acts as yeast and can be used in baking bread.
Notes on Medicinal Uses
The leaf buds have been used for treating coughs and colds. The inner bark was used as an antiscorbutic, a diaphoretic, a diuretic, an expectorant, a febrifuge, a purgative, and a vermifuge. It was also used as a poultice for sore eyes.
The bark contains salicin and populin, which were used in manufacturing aspirin. The inner bark also contains a quinine substitute.
The light powdery substance upon the bark was used as a sunscreen and as a styptic. It was also rubbed upon the body to prevent hair growth.
Extra notes from the Foragers
The generic name, Populus, is Latin for “people”. This was because the Romans frequently held public meetings and gatherings near their Poplar trees. It may also have come from the Latin word, papelin, which is “to babble”, because of the noisy blowing leaves.
The specific epithet, tremuloides, is Latin for tremula, which was specific epithet of a European Trembling Aspen
Other Uses for quaking aspen
The inner bark was used traditionally for cordage. The long shoots were used by Native Americans for building wigwams and the smaller shoots were used in basketry. The downy seeds were used for stuffing pillows.
Aspen wood is very lightweight when dried, becoming especially buoyant and was thus a popular choice for oars and paddles.
Floorboards were sometimes made of aspen as a safety measure, as aspen wood does not burn well.
Folklore for quaking aspen
Aspis, the aspen’s Greek name, means shield and amongst the Celts its lightweight wood was favoured for making shields and people thought they had magical qualities to safeguard the bearer from psychic as well as physical harm. The protective nature of the “shield tree” extended to the general population too. Like the Rowan it was a popular choice of tree to plant close to a dwelling. Aspens were also said to be able to protect buried treasure.
References:
https://indiananativeplants.org/wp-content/uploads/GM_QuakingAspen.doc