Trembling Aspen vs Water Arum - TreeTime.ca

Trembling Aspen vs Water Arum

Populus tremuloides

Calla palustris

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

CUSTOM GROW

Trembling Aspen
Water Arum

Trembling Aspen is a hardy, fast-growing tree. It is known for its unique "trembling" leaf movement and beautiful bark that whitens with age.

This native shade tree tolerates a range of growing conditions and requires little maintenance.

Water Arum is a native perennial wetland plant known for its showy white oval sheaths (spathe) that surround a yellow-green, cylindrical flower spike (spadix). It has large, oblong, heart-shaped leaves on stems that rise above the water from shallow, spreading rhizomes. The blossoms are followed in late summer by tiny, pear-shaped fruits that ripen to bright red, adding ornamental interest to wet habitats.

Water Arum provides food for birds and small mammals that eat its berries, and its flowers attract pollinators. It can tolerate cold climates and forms colonies in shallow water and saturated soils. It is well-suited for ecological restoration, riparian planting, naturalisation, and habitat projects in wet and shaded environments.

Trembling Aspen Quick Facts

Water Arum Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 1b
Height: 25 m (82 ft)
Height: 0.2 m (0.8 ft)
Spread: 9 m (30 ft)
Spread: 0.2 m (0.8 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: shade, partial shade
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: colony-forming
Spreading: rhizomes - medium, seeds - low
Suckering: high
Maintenance: medium


Toxicity: toxic if ingested
Fall colour: brilliant yellow
Flowers: white sheath around and yellow spike
Bloom time: spring to summer
Berries: red, in clusters
Seeds: fluff
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: yes
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, PE
Other Names: american aspen, golden aspen, mountain aspen, quaking aspen, quiver leaf aspen, trembling poplar, white poplar
Other Names: bog arum, swamp lily, wild calla, wild dragon