PLANT PROFILE

Liriodendron tulipifera
tuliptree, tulip poplar, yellow poplar



Liriodendron tulipifera

Liriodendron tulipifera
Liriodendron tulipifera
photos courtesy Renee Brecht
Britton & Brown
Botanical name: Liriodendron tulipifera
Common name: tuliptree, tulip poplar, yellow poplar
Group: dicot
Family: Magnoliaceae
Growth type: tree
Duration: perennial
Origin: native
Plant height: 70 - < 100'
Bark: gray to brown, furrowed, with fine stripes of light gray
Foliage: alternate, simple, deciduous
Flower: 2-3" long, tulip-shaped; yellow green, with orange inside the base of the corolla
Fruit: cone shaped aggregate that persists through the winter
Flowering time: blooms late May to June; fruits in September- October and persists
Habitat: rich, wet low ground of woods, swamps, old fields
Range in New Jersey: statewide outside the Pine Barrens
Heritage ranking, if any: n/a
Distribution:
Misc. ornamental tree, strong timber tree
The trunks are often noticeable for their very straight, upright growth.
Despite the common name "tulip poplar", it is not a poplar at all.