Liriodendron tulipifera L.
Tulip tree, tulip poplar, yellow poplar
The American tulip tree is a North American native.
Plants: These trees can reach as much as 164′ (50 m) in height in the wild, with tall, straight trunks. They are roughly conical in shape when young, becoming more ungainly or irregular in shape when older.
Leaves: Alternate, 5 ⨉ 8″ (12 ⨉ 20 cm), with leaf stems 3–4″ (7.6–10 cm) long. Their shape resembles a tulip, hence the tree’s name. Leaves are bright shades of yellow in the fall.
Flowers: Green, white, or rarely yellow, and also reminiscent of tulips. They have an orange band on the tepals.
Fruits: Roughly cone-shaped, dry, scaly, green, becoming tan. They remain on the tree during the winter.
Habitats: Alluvial soils bordering streams, loam soils of mountain coves, talus slopes below cliffs and bluffs, and on well-watered, gravelly soils.
Liriodendron tulipifera flower. By 3268zauber. 
Online References:
5/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm) 
3/2/2011 · Susan and Raimond’s, Phoenix, Arizona 
7/3/2023 · Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 
7/2/2010 · Indigo Landing, Alexandria, Virginia · ≈ 7 × 4½′ (2.2 × 1.5 m) 
9/1/2013 · Trail Near James River, Midlothian, Virginia · ≈ 10 × 8″ (26 × 21 cm) 
7/31/2016 · Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia 
7/2/2010 · Indigo Landing, Alexandria, Virginia · ≈ 5½ × 3½′ (1.7 × 1.2 m) 
9/1/2013 · Trail Near James River, Midlothian, Virginia · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 21 cm) 
10/3/2010 · Tarkill Interpretive Trail, Rte 402, Poconos, Peck’s Pond, Pennsylvania 
9/1/2013 · Trail Near James River, Midlothian, Virginia 
9/1/2013 · Trail Near James River, Midlothian, Virginia · ≈ 1½ × 2½′ (53 × 79 cm) 
5/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (27 × 18 cm) 
10/4/2010 · Susan and Raimond’s, Phoenix, Maryland · ≈ 14 × 9″ (35 × 23 cm) 
6/27/2026 · Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine · ≈ 10 × 7″ (25 × 17 cm) 
5/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Magnoliidae | Includes magnolias, nutmeg, bay laurel, cinnamon, avocado, black pepper, and many others |
| Order | Magnoliales | Includes the custard apple family, magnolia family, nutmeg family, and others |
| Family | Magnoliaceae | Magnolia family |
| Genus | Liriodendron | From New Latin, leirion, lirion, lily; and -dendron, tree |
| Species | tulipifera | “Bringing forth tulips,” for the tulip-shaped flowers |
Liriodendron tulipifera description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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