Liriodendron tulipifera Tulip Tree

General

 

A member of the “Poplar” family, the tulip tree is fast-growing and strong, allowing it to reach heights of 150 ft. The tulip tree produces a showy, pale yellow flower reminiscent of a tulip, from which it derives its name. The extremely straight trunk and grain made the tulip tree the preferred tree to make molds to produce hats in the early 20th century. Danbury, CT had a plethora of hat makers at the time (hence its nickname “Hat City”) and these establishments came close to eliminating the tulip tree in Western CT.

Plant Description

Tulip tree has distinctive, large, four-lobed, square-shaped leaves, making it easy to identify. The bark is gray and cracked in long vertical lines. The trunk of the full grown plant is long and bare, with branches and foliage only at the very top. Its springtime flowers closely resemble tulips, and are light yellow in color, and the tree turns a fiery yellow-orange in autumn.

Height (ft)
80-120

Spread (ft)
30-50

Soil moisture
Medium

Soil types
Moist, well drained, not clay

Wetland indicator
FACU

Shade tolerance
Full Sun-Part Shade

Bloom color
Yellow, orange, white

Bloom period
May to June

Fall conspicuous
Yes

Anaerobic tolerance
None

Drought tolerance
Low

Salinity tolerance
Low

Self-Pollinating?
Yes

Range

All states east of the Mississippi River plus Louisiana and Arkansas, except for Wisconsin, New Hampshire and Maine.

Kartesz, J.T. 2024. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP) [website http://bonap.org/]

Additional Information

According to BRIT - Native American Ethnobotany Database, the bark has been used in cough syrups, an infusion of the root bark has been taken for fevers and the bark used for rheumatism. A decoction of this species has been used as a wash for snakebites and the wood itself has been used for lumber. The Cherokee have used this species to make honey.