Slippery Elm
Ulmus rubra Medium tree Zones 3–9 40–70 ft
Shares floodplain forests, rich moist slopes, old fields and edges in the wild.
A native we do not grow
Bigtooth Aspen
Populus grandidentata. Medium tree, 50 to 80 feet, zones 3 to 6; full sun or part shade; dry or average ground.
We do not grow bigtooth aspen, and it is not in our shop. This page gathers what our tools say about it and the natives we grow for the same ground.
At a glance
| Other names | Largetooth aspen, big-toothed aspen |
|---|---|
| Form | Medium tree |
| Height, feet | 50 to 80 |
| Spread, feet | Up to 40 |
| Zones | 3 to 6 |
| Sun | Full sun or part shade |
| Soil moisture | Dry or average ground |
| Growth | Fast |
| Leaves | Deciduous |
| Traits | Fall color, wildlife value, erosion control |
| Flowers | March to May |
| Fruit | Capsules, May to June |
| First crop | 10 to 20 years (flowering begins at about 10) |
| Pollination | Separate male and female trees. Bigtooth aspens are normally either male or female, so a female tree bears seed only with a male nearby. |
| Lifespan | Lives up to 150 years, and the oldest dated one reached 113. Only a tiny share of trees has ever been ring-counted or cross-dated. |
| Black walnut | Not named on the Morton Arboretum's lists |
| Ground | Floodplain forests, sandy barrens, rich moist slopes, old fields and edges |
| Native in | 24 states and the District of Columbia |
Bigtooth aspen is native in 24 states and the District of Columbia: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. The states are the USDA PLANTS Database's records, with the native range read from Silvics of North America and NatureServe Explorer. The USDA PLANTS Database also records it growing wild beyond that range in North Dakota, where it is naturalized, not native.
What our tools say
How fast it grows and how big it gets, by site Whether it suits your zone, sun and soil How far from a house, wires and a septic field What grows with it in the wild and in a yard When to plant it where you live When it flowers and fruits, month by month How to sow its seed, with dates for your place How many to plant for a crop of seed Whether one you have can be moved, and what the move takes How old one is, from its trunk How a big one scores against the champion trees
For the same ground, we grow
These trees we grow share the most of bigtooth aspen's natural communities in the wild, by the companion species tool's rules.
American Persimmon
Diospyros virginiana Medium tree Zones 4–9 35–60 ft
Shares floodplain forests, sandy barrens, old fields and edges in the wild.
Downy Hawthorn
Crataegus mollis Small tree Zones 3–8 20–40 ft
Shares floodplain forests, sandy barrens, old fields and edges in the wild.
Littlehip Hawthorn
Crataegus spathulata Small tree Zones 5–9 10–26 ft
Shares floodplain forests, rich moist slopes, old fields and edges in the wild.
Devil's Walking Stick
Aralia spinosa Small tree Zones 4–9 10–20 ft
Shares floodplain forests, rich moist slopes, old fields and edges in the wild.
Sweetleaf
Symplocos tinctoria Small tree Zones 7–9 15–30 ft
Shares floodplain forests, sandy barrens and rich moist slopes in the wild.
Read from
Its figures come from Silvics of North America, the Chicago Botanic Garden, the Morton Arboretum, the Wildflower Center, the Forest Service's Fire Effects Information System, the Woody Plant Seed Manual, University of Minnesota Extension, Iowa State University Extension, the USDA PLANTS Database, the US Forest Service, the University of Illinois Extension and Virginia Tech's dendrology site.