: There are two different trees that are called poplar.

I've also read here about a 'confusion' between Aspen and Poplar in localized naming. In my (Ohio) bigboxes, I can get both. Poplar as defined around here is often greenish, minimal grain, very clear, tight pores, and somewhat light for a hardwood. I've used it for 'whitewood' projects, and absolutely love the way it works. We also now get Aspen - nicely clear, very light-color wood, a 'fleck' appearance to the grain, seems fairly heavy for a softwood.

From these vague descriptions, can anyone define the species properly so they could be looked up in the Forest Service literature?