Trembling Aspen or Quaking Aspen - Populus tremuloides
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This video is about trembling or quaking aspen - Populus tremuloides. It is a tree with edible and medicinal uses that can be found throughout most of North America.
Identification of Trembling Aspen/Quaking Aspen
Trembling aspen grows to form large genetically identical stands by spreading through underground roots. In Utah there is a colony of quaking aspen known as Pando which is thought to be the oldest living organism in the world and may be as old as 80,000 years old.
Quaking aspen may be the most widely distributed tree in North America with a range from Alaska to Newfoundland and south to California, Mexico and Virginia.
The bark of trembling aspen is greenish-white with a powdery coat on top. The older bark can become furrowed near the bottom of the tree. The bark is also marked with blackened spots where branches used to grow and were self-pruned. The bark does not peel like birch species.
There is also a layer of green bark below the outer bark that continues to photosynthesize throughout the winter even after all of the leaves have fallen. As far as I can tell, this is the only deciduous tree in North America that does this.
Trembling aspen grow up to about 30 m tall with leaves on older trees found only near the top.
Quaking aspen leaves are nearly circular with round-toothed edges and pointed tips. They are deep green above and paler below. The petiole is flattened and this is what leads to the leaves fluttering in the slightest breeze.
Trembling aspen flowers are drooping catkins which are clusters of flowers. They are in a cylinder shape and flower in the spring.
Trembling Aspen is an Edible Tree
The cambium of trembling aspen was eaten by several indigenous groups in the spring when it is sweeter. It was not preserved and only eaten fresh. This could be used as a survival food and in times of famine. The catkins of quaking aspen are also edible and high in vitamin c. They could also be eaten as a survival food. Some Great Lakes indigenous people ate the leaves of trembling aspen as a famine food, and other indigenous groups used the ashes of burnt wood as a salt prior to European contact.
Medicinal Uses of Trembling Aspen
Trembling aspen is a member of the willow family, and the bark, leaves and flowers contain aspririn-like salicylates which can relieve pain and reduce inflammation and fever. Tea or tincture made from the bark has been used to help regulate the release of bile and aid with digestion.
The powder on the bark can be used as a mild sunscreen. The bark tea has also been used to relieve cough and sore throat and also to kill parasitic works.
Trembling aspen tea was also considered a good spring tonic especially for the elderly, and it was used by the Cree. It was used to treat rheumatism, diarrhea, liver and kidney problems.
The trembling aspen tea was made by boiling 3 or 4 spoonfuls of grated inner bark, fresh or dried, in 3 cups of water. 1/2 cup doses were taken every two hours at the first sign of infection.
Warning - Do not use trembling aspen if you have hypothyroid conditions.
Please consume wild plants at your own risk! Consult multiple reliable sources before consuming any wild plants! This video is for information and entertainment only!
References
Gray, Beverley. The Boreal Herbal: Wild Food and Medicine Plants of the North. Aroma Borealis Press. 2011.
Johnson, Derek, et. al. Plants of the Western Boreal Forest & Aspen Parkland. Lone Pine Publishing and the Canadian Forest Service. 1995.
Kloos, Scott. Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants. Timber Press, Inc. 2017
MacKinnon, A. Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada. Lone Pine Media Productions (BC) Ltd. 2014.
Parish, R.; Coupe, R.; and Lloyd, D. Plants of the Inland Northwest and Southern Interior British Columbia. BC Ministry of Forests and Lone Pine Publishing. 2018
Pojar, Jim and MacKinnon, Andy. Plants of Coastal British Columbia including Washington, Oregon & Alaska. BC Ministry of Forests and Lone Pine Publishing. 2004.
Turner, N. J. Food Plants of Interior First Peoples. Royal BC Museum. 2014