What is the difference between poplar and aspen

European aspen Populus tremula. Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides. Black cottonwood Populus trichocarpa. Characteristics of poplar wood Regardless of the genus, all poplar woods true or otherwise have a few similarities. They are all relatively lightweight and soft as a matter of fact, Populus species rank among the very softest woods in the world.

They all have relatively small pores which finish to a smooth texture without the need for pore fillers. Most of these trees grow quite large and furnish wide, clear boards. Anatomically, they are all diffuse or semi-diffuse porous hardwoods. This can sometimes be enough of an indicator to separate it from other Populus species, but to ensure separation, a closer look at the endgrain is needed.

Rays: A helpful key in differentiating these two genera is in the rays. Yellow Poplar will have comparatively large rays that can even give the wood a modest amount of ray fleck on quartersawn surfaces. By contrast, Populus genus species will have very narrow rays that are invisible with the naked eye, and just barely visible at 10x magnification.

Upon closer inspection 10x of the endgrain of yellow poplar Liriodendron tulipifera , the rays are nearly the same width as the pores. Noded rays: Another characteristic of yellow poplar Liriodendron tulipifera is that the rays are noded. What this means is that whenever a ray crosses a growth ring line, it gets slightly wider and has a flared appearance. Populus genus woods will generally have rays of a uniform width throughout their entire length.

In this view of Yellow Poplar Liriodendron tulipifera , the noded rays are subtly visible. The buds, inner bark and leaves of this tree were important sources of natural curatives used by First Nations People such as the Cree and, through them, the early settlers.

The active ingredient in aspirin occurs in the inner bark of aspen. The Cree made a tea from the inner bark that was helpful in treating rheumatism, diarrhea, liver and kidney problems, and coughs. A similar tonic, with the addition of tree fungus, eased earaches. Aspen leaves relieved the itch of insect stings. On the sunny side of open-grown aspen trees, the photosynthetic bark produces a protective white powder, which was used by First Nations Peoples as a sunscreen.

Canoe paddles and tipi poles were commonly made from aspen wood. Now, aspen poplar is cut down for pulp and to make oriented-strand board. Wooden matches are made by steaming poplar logs and peeling the wood layers. Aspen is a great tree to grow on a rural property or in a large schoolyard. It is very hardy in drought and in extremes of heat and cold. It grows fast and is very persistent. It is the first tree to leaf out in the spring and the last to lose its leaves in the fall. A stand of aspen can also be an important habitat and food source for wildlife.

It can also be used for an average-sized yard, but for a small city garden there are some concerns. Although aspen is easily grown, it is susceptible to rot, insects and disease, and the roots can send up many suckers and grow to block sewer pipes if pipes are leaking.

Due to the clonal habit, thousands of shoots ramets are linked together to form one individual covering tens of hectares. The aspen clones thus dwarf conifers and certainly whales. From Dr.

Brayshaw, T. The catkin-bearing plants of British Columbia. Craighead, F. For everything there is a season: the sequence of natural events in the Grand Teton-Yellowstone Area. Falcon Press, Montana. Farrar, J. Trees in Canada. Johnson, D. Kershaw, A. MacKinnon, and J. Plants of the western boreal forest and aspen parkland.

Lone Pine Publishing, Edmonton, Alberta. Parish, R. Coupe, and D. Poplar wood is considered a hardwood by species, but this can be somewhat confusing, as it is typically softer than pine , a common softwood.

In most instances, poplar or at least the wood sold as poplar in home centers is actually the wood from the tulip tree. Alder on the other hand is usually very consistent as far as its weight is concerned from piece to piece. The list below is sorted by hardness, softest to lightest. Is this list complete? That's where you come in.

Generally acknowledged as the hardest wood , lignum vitae Guaiacum sanctum and Guaiacum officinale measures in at 4, pounds-force lbf on the Janka scale. That's more than twice as hard as Osage orange one of the hardest domestic woods at 2, lbf and more than three times harder than red oak at 1, lbf. Aspen is a safe wood, as it contains no such essential oils and is a soft wood. Aspen is a type of wood that is sometimes used in the construction of inexpensive cabinets.

Instead, a soft Maple wood should be used. It is not recommended to use Aspen in the construction of load-bearing frames, shelves or drawers due to its low level of strength.

The difference between maple and poplar is easy to tell if you can get a look at a radial cut QS -- maple has darker ray flecks against a lighter background, poplar has lighter ray flecks against a darker background.

Aspen : a soft hardwood Well, it's not. Hardwood species are defined as being deciduous; they lose their leaves seasonally. So, their hardness can vary. Getting back to aspen , it scores a pretty low on the Janka Hardness Scale. What is the difference between Poplar and Aspen? Category: science environment. What is the difference between poplar and aspen trees?

Aspens are a type of Poplar. They are bandied about as if they are a different genus, only Poplar is a genus. What is poplar used for? Is Aspen good for furniture?