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The wood is close-grained, soft, and not strong, but it is made into pulp and used in the manufacture of paper. The bark is brittle, with a taste like quinine, but the inner bark is sweet, and in the spring it is used as food by the Indians.
The generic name, Populus, is supposed to have come from the Latin arbor populi (the tree of the people), because rows of this tree were always planted in public places about Rome. The specific name, tremuloides, refers to the leaves which tremble continually on account of their long, flattened, pliable leafstalks. The aspen grows wild throughout the Northern United States and in the mountains of Lower California and Mexico.
Large-toothed Aspen Populus grandidentata
A large tree, 60 to 80 feet high, with smooth greenish gray bark. The buds are conical with somewhat downy scales and spread at right angles from the stem. Slender twigs and alternate leaf-scars.
This tree is quite distinct from the American aspen, although it is often confounded with it. It is found much less frequently than the American aspen.
The wood is close-grained, soft, and light, and is used for making wood pulp and wooden ware. In old times when it was the fashion for women to wear high-heeled shoes this wood was used in making heels, as it was light and best adapted to the purpose.
The specific name, grandidentata (large toothed), refers to the serrations of the leaf, which are much coarser than those of the American aspen.
Balm of Gilead; Balsam Poplar Populus balsamifera
A tall tree, 40 to 70 feet high. The bark ts smooth and greenish gray, often roughly ridged at the base of the trunk. Large buds with overlapping scales covered with a sticky, yellow, glutinous substance. Conspicuous alternate leaf-scars.