Large-tooth aspen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Large-tooth aspen |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Populus
|
| Species: |
grandidentata
|
 |
|
| Natural range | |
The Populus grandidentata, also known as the large-tooth aspen or big-tooth aspen, is a type of tree that loses its leaves every year. It grows naturally in eastern North America. People also call it the American aspen, Canadian poplar, or white poplar.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The first part of its scientific name, Populus, comes from a Latin word for poplar trees. The second part, grandidentata, describes its leaves. Grandis means "large," and dentata means "toothed." So, its name tells us it's a poplar with big teeth on its leaves!
About the Big-Tooth Aspen
The big-tooth aspen is a medium-sized tree found mostly in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Its leaves look a bit like those of the quaking aspen, but they are a little bigger and have larger "teeth" along their edges. Just like the quaking aspen, its leaves also shake and tremble in the wind.
When the tree is young, its bark is smooth, thin, and olive-green. But as it gets older, after about 30 to 40 years, the bark turns gray, becomes thicker, and has rough grooves.
How Big-Tooth Aspens Reproduce
Big-tooth aspens make seeds from their flowers, which grow in clusters called catkins. The wind helps spread the pollen from male flowers to female flowers. This tree is "dioecious," meaning that male flowers grow on one tree and female flowers grow on a different tree. They bloom from mid-April to mid-May, depending on the weather.
The seeds are tiny and come in a two-part capsule. The wind carries them far and wide. Trees start making seeds when they are about 10 years old. A single mature tree can produce over a million seeds in one season!
Even though many seeds are made, not many of them grow into new trees. This is because the seeds only stay good for about two weeks. Also, they need to land on moist soil to sprout.
Big-tooth aspens can also grow new trees from their roots. If a tree is cut down or dies, its roots can send up new shoots. These shoots grow into new trees that are exact copies of the original tree. This can create a whole group of trees that are all clones of each other!
How Big-Tooth Aspens Grow
Big-tooth aspens are medium-sized trees with straight trunks and branches that reach upwards. When they are fully grown, they can be about 60 to 80 feet (18 to 24 meters) tall. Their trunks can be about 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 centimeters) wide.
These trees grow very fast but don't live as long as some other trees. A group of big-tooth aspens usually starts to decline after 60 to 70 years. However, individual trees can live for up to 100 years.
Their roots are shallow and spread out widely. In a forest, the side roots can spread as far as 60 feet (18 meters) from the tree. Usually, four or five main side roots grow from the tree, and then they branch out further. Some roots near the base grow straight down to help anchor the tree.
Where Big-Tooth Aspens Live
You can find the big-tooth aspen across a large area of eastern North America. Its range goes from Virginia in the south, up to Maine and Nova Scotia in Canada. It stretches west to Manitoba and Minnesota, and south through Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia. You can also find smaller groups of these trees in Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
Big-Tooth Aspen in Nature
Big-tooth aspens can grow in many different types of soil. However, they grow best in sandy soils or light sandy loams that are moist but also well-drained. They can even grow on sandy uplands and rocky sites.
These trees need a lot of sunlight to grow. If they are in too much shade, they usually die. They are known as "pioneer species" because they are often the first trees to grow in areas that have been disturbed, like after a fire or logging. They grow quickly and can outcompete other trees like red oak and red maple in these disturbed areas.
Without disturbances like fires, other trees that can tolerate shade better will eventually replace the big-tooth aspens. In the Great Lakes Region, after many pine forests were cut down and burned in the early 1900s, big-tooth and quaking aspens often became the main trees.
Big-tooth aspens usually grow in mixed groups with other trees, especially quaking aspens. While quaking aspens are more common in aspen stands in the Great Lakes region, big-tooth aspens are more common on drier, higher ground.
Big-tooth aspens are quite resistant to diseases. However, one serious disease they can get is hypoxylon canker. Other problems include various rots, fungi, and root decay. Gypsy moths also like to eat big-tooth aspens. If gypsy moths eat almost all the leaves, the tree can die, especially if it then gets a fungal infection.
How People Use Big-Tooth Aspens
Many different wild animals eat the bark, leaves, and buds of the big-tooth aspen.
The wood of the big-tooth aspen is light-colored, soft, and has a fine texture. It weighs about 27 pounds (12 kg) per cubic foot. It is mostly used to make pulp for paper. It can also be used to make particle board and other building panels.
Some other uses for the wood include making log homes, pallets, boxes, matchsticks, chopsticks, parts for hockey sticks, and ladders. The bark can even be made into pellets for fuel or as extra food for cattle.
Sometimes, big-tooth aspens are planted on purpose. A special type of big-tooth aspen called 'Grandmont' has been developed recently.
Images for kids
-
A leaf from a Populus grandidentata, also known as the "big-tooth aspen."
.JPG)
See also
In Spanish: Chopo americano de hoja dentada para niños
