Elk Island National Park of Canada
Common Trees and Shrubs
Common Trees
Trembling Aspen Leaf© Parks CanadaTrembling Aspen
Populus tremuloides
Medium sized deciduous tree up to 20 m
Bark: Greenish white, becoming blackish and rough on lower trunk and branch bases
Leaves : Oval with sharp pointed tip (3 - 7.5 cm), toothed
Leaf Stem: Stalks long and flattened allowing leaves to tremble in the breeze
Where found: Widespread in rich, moist areas
Balsam Poplar Leaf© Parks CanadaBalsam Poplar
Populus balsamifera
Medium sized deciduous tree up to 20 m
Bark : Dark with age and deeply furrowed
Leaves: Thick, egg-shaped (4 - 9 cm). Deep green above, pale or white below
Leaf Stem: Round stalk 2 - 5 cm
Where found: Common in moist areas
White Birch Leaf and catkin© Parks CanadaWhite Birch
Betula papyrifera
Medium sized deciduous tree up to 15 m
Bark : Smooth white papery bark, brown horizontal lines
Leaves: Egg-shaped (4 - 8.5 cm) sharp points. Greener on top than below
Where found: Mixed forest, in well drained but moist sites
Tamarack Branch© Parks CanadaTamarack
Larix laricina
Small deciduous, needle-leaved tree 5 - 15 m
Leaves: Needles in cluster of 10 - 20, needles drop off in autumn
Cones : Egg-shaped, erect (10 - 20 mm)
Where found: Fens, swamps, and bogs
Black Spruce Branch and Cone© Parks CanadaBlack Spruce
Picea mariana
Small, shrubby evergreen 10 - 20 m
Upper-most branches clustered
Needles: Short, 4-sided needles (1 - 2 cm)
Cones : Small egg-shaped seed cones (1.3 - 3 cm), purplish
Where found: Nutrient-poor soils - bogs, swamps
White Spruce Branch and Cone© Parks CanadaWhite Spruce
Picea glauca
Small evergreen 7 - 20 m
Needles : 4-sided, 1 - 2.5 cm, pointed, stiff bluish-green
Cones: Seed cones hang down, 2.5 - 5 cm at maturity, pale red
Where found: Mixed forest, in well-drained moist soils
Common Shrubs
Willow Branch© Parks CanadaWillows
Salix spp.
Largest group of shrub species
Browsed by moose, deer, and porcupines, also provide bedding, cover, and birthing areas
Flowers: Arranged in catkins
Bark : Variable
Leaves: Shapes vary between species
Where found: Shrubland circling wet areas
Labrador Tea© Parks CanadaCommon Labrador Tea
Ledum groenlandicum
Erect evergreen shrub 30 - 80 cm tall
Leaves : Oblong 1 - 5 cm long, often drooping, leathery, deep green above, rusty below, with wooly hairs
Flowers: Loose umbrella-like cluster at branch tips
Where found: Bogs, swamp, and moist woods