Western Poplar Liriodendron tulipifera
Other Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Liriodendron procerum
- Tulipifera lirodendrum
- Phonetic Spelling
- lir-ee-o-DEN-dron tew-lip-IF-er-a
- Description
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The tulip poplar is a native large deciduous tree that may grow 90 to 120 feet tall and takes its name from its greenish-yellow heartwood and attractive tulip-like flowers. The tree has alternate, palmately veined, 4-lobed leaves with a smooth margin. The bark is smooth and dark green on young trees. As the tree ages, wide, white furrows that separate flat ridges develop. In late spring, 2.5-inch flowers with yellow-green petals and an orange corolla mature. The flowers of the tulip poplar are followed by dry, scaly, oblong, cone-shaped brown fruits, each bearing numerous winged seeds. The tree produces an aggregate of overlapping samaras that separate at maturity in the late fall. A distinctive feature is its winter buds which resemble a duck's bill. The trunks of mature trees may reach 4 to 6 feet in diameter, usually rising column-like with an absence of lower branches; the greenish-yellow heartwood does not develop until the tree reaches about 2 feet in diameter. It has been known to reach 200 feet in height with a trunk diameter of 8 to 10 feet. The crown is compact, pyramidal, and often tapers sharply at the top.
This tree is one of the largest native trees in North America and is native to southern Ontario and the central and eastern United States. The tulip poplar is found naturally in mesic forests, cove forests at least 1500 feet in elevation, bottomland forests, and swamps. It is found throughout North Carolina and does best in deep, moist soils along streams and lower mountain coves. Native Americans used this tree for building canoes and the inner bark for medicine. It is the State tree of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana.
The genus name, Liriodendron, originated from the Greek words leirion which means "lily", and dendron meaning "a tree for the flowers." The specific epithet, tulipifera, means "tulip" and references its form of flowers. It is a member of the Magnoliaceae or magnolia family.
This tree prefers moist, well-drained soil, full sun, and slightly acidic soil. It is pH and partial-shade adaptable. This tree is sensitive to heat and drought and has a low compaction tolerance. The tulip poplar can be pruned and kept at shrub size by cutting them to the ground every 2-3 years.
The tulip poplar is a favorite nesting site for birds, and the flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds.
To plant, it needs a large area and does best in natural areas. It can have superb fall color of yellow to golden yellow but leaves abscise prematurely. It is not recommended for a small residential area or as a street tree. There are many cultivars available including smaller forms of this plant. Some less problematic native trees for the home landscape are listed to the left.
Fire Risk: This plant has a low flammability rating.
Seasons of Interest:
Bloom: Spring Foliage: Summer and Fall Fruits: Fall
Quick ID Hints:
- large, broad, pyramidal deciduous tree
- winter buds resemble a duck's bill
- leaves alternate, board truncate apex, 3 to 4 lobes, green, waxy, and smooth on the upper surface, and paler beneath
- tulip-like flower with greenish-yellow petals marked with orange at the base of each petal
- cone-like green to brown fruits that contain samaras.
- twigs have a sweet spicy scent when broken
Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: This plant has pest and disease problems. Pest includes scale and aphids. Large aphid infestations result in honeydew secretions on the leaves that provide the growing medium for sooty mold. Verticillium wilt, mold, powdery mildew, leaf spots, and canker are possible diseases. Fast-growing means they are weak-wooded, and susceptible to limb breakage in high winds or from ice/snow. Shallow root systems do limit the types of plants that may be grown within the drip line. During hot, dry weather the leaves tend to turn yellow and drop off. Rabbits eat the buds and inner bark of young trees.
VIDEO created by Grant L. Thompson for “Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines for Landscaping” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State University.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Arnold'
narrow tree, 25 feet tall and 8 feet wide - 'Aureo-marginatum'
gold edged to greenish-yellow variegated leaves - 'Crispum'
contorted leaves with undulated margins - 'Fastigiatum'
columnar habit - 'Little Volunteer'
- 'Mediopictum'
variegated leaves, green except yellow blotch in the center
- 'Arnold'
- 'Arnold', 'Aureo-marginatum', 'Crispum', 'Fastigiatum', 'Little Volunteer', 'Mediopictum'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Arnold'
narrow tree, 25 feet tall and 8 feet wide - 'Aureo-marginatum'
gold edged to greenish-yellow variegated leaves - 'Crispum'
contorted leaves with undulated margins - 'Fastigiatum'
columnar habit - 'Little Volunteer'
- 'Mediopictum'
variegated leaves, green except yellow blotch in the center
- 'Arnold'
- 'Arnold', 'Aureo-marginatum', 'Crispum', 'Fastigiatum', 'Little Volunteer', 'Mediopictum'
- Tags:
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-
Attributes:
- Genus:
- Liriodendron
- Species:
- tulipifera
- Family:
- Magnoliaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Tulip poplar is one of the largest and most valuable hardwood trees in the United States. Wood from this tree is somewhat weak and is used for furniture, plywood, boats, veneer, paper pulp, and general lumber. It is light, soft, and easily worked. The wood has also been used to make musical instruments and toys. Native Americans used this tree to make dugout canoes. They also used the inner bark of this tree as a medicine for cough and cholera.
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Grafting
- Seed
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Southern Ontario to North Central and Eastern United States
- Distribution:
- Native: United States--AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, and WV. Canada--Ontario. Introduced: Hawaii
- Fire Risk Rating:
- low flammability
- Wildlife Value:
- This plant supports pollinators and is a larval host plant. The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilo glaucus) has three flights from February-November in the deep south and March-September in the north. The Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) has two broods from April-October, and Viceroy (Limenitis archippus) has two to three broods from May-September and all year in Florida. Hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, and birds like cedar waxwings feed on the nectar from flowers. White-tailed deer, gray squirrels, and some songbirds eat the flowers in the spring. Sprouts, buds, and seeds are primary food for deer and squirrels.
- Play Value:
- Attractive Flowers
- Attracts Pollinators
- Wildlife Food Source
- Wildlife Larval Host
- Wildlife Nesting
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- Resistant to fire. White-tailed deer browse the foliage and twigs, but this tree is considered to be moderately deer resistant.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 80 ft. 0 in. - 120 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 30 ft. 0 in. - 60 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Native Plant
- Perennial
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Oval
- Pyramidal
- Rounded
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Coarse
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- Loam (Silt)
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- 24-60 feet
- more than 60 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Samara
- Fruit Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- The tree produces and aggregate of fused, cone-like samaras (2 to 3 inches long, 3/4 of a inch wide) which turn brown separate at maturity throughout the winter. Oblong aggregate of samaras. Fruit is available September-October.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Orange
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Solitary
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Cup
- Flower Petals:
- 6 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- 1-3 inches
- Flower Description:
- The tulip poplar has cup-shaped, upright, fragrant yellow flowers with 6 green to yellow petals in 2 rows, reddish-orange bands near the base, and an orange center that somewhat resembles a tulip. Flowers have numerous stamens and pistils are fused. Flowers have 3 reflexed sepals. Although the flowers are 1.5 to 2 inches in length, they can go unnoticed on large trees because the flowers appear high in the crown of the tree and after the leaves are fully developed. Sometimes the flowers are first noticed when the attractive petals begin to fall below the tree. Flowers bloom from May to early June.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Glossy
- Smooth
- Waxy
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Orbicular
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Lobed
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- The tulip poplar has alternate, simple, palmately veined leaves with a smooth margin. Leaves have 4 main lobes, 5 to 6 inches long. The apical lobe is broad and truncated, and lateral lobes have smaller lobes near the rounded or truncated base. The petiole is 2 to 4 inches long. Some leaves will turn yellow and drop during drought. The bright green leaves (3 to 8 inches across and wide) with paler undersides turn golden yellow in fall.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Brown
- Green
- Light Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Furrowed
- Ridges
- Smooth
- Bark Plate Shape:
- Diamond
- Bark Description:
- The bark is smooth and light gray-green on young trees. As the tree ages, its color is grayish-brown, and it develops flat-topped ridges and white-colored furrows in a diamond pattern.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Green
- Red/Burgundy
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- Yes
- Stem Description:
- Stems are green to reddish brown and have distinct stipule scars circumventing nodes. Buds are oval, flattened, green to reddish-brown, shaped like a duck's bill, and terminal buds are at most 1/2" long. The tree may be free of branches up to 80 feet off the ground. The twigs have a sweet and spicy scent when broken.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Meadow
- Recreational Play Area
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Children's Garden
- Edible Garden
- Native Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Rain Garden
- Design Feature:
- Flowering Tree
- Shade Tree
- Specimen
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Butterflies
- Hummingbirds
- Pollinators
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Black Walnut
- Deer
- Fire
- Rabbits
- Wet Soil
- Problems:
- Frequent Disease Problems
- Frequent Insect Problems
- Messy
- Weak Wood