Liriodendron tulipifera
Common name: 
Tuliptree
Yellow Poplar
Tulip Poplar
Pronunciation: 
lir-ee-o-DEN-dron tew-lip-IF-er-a
Family: 
Magnoliaceae
Genus: 
Liriodendron
Type: 
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon: 
No
  • Deciduous tree, 70-90(150) ft, [21-27(46) m], strong central leader, narrow ovoid.  Winter buds are valve-like, resembling a duck's bill, to about 13 mm.  Leaves alternate, simple, 7.5-20 cm across, broad truncate apex, bright green above; foliage only yellow, brown in fall.  Tulip-like flowers in spring, greenish-yellow petals, orangish interior.  Fruit cone-like, 6-8 cm long, green then brown, ripening in fall, containing numerous 1-2 seeded winged carpels, 2.5-3.5 cm long.
  • Sun.  pH adaptable but prefers a slightly acid soil.  Aphids are a serious problem, in some areas the copious, sugary honeydew produced by the aphids results in a sooty mold on the upper suface of leaves.
  • Hardy to USDA Zone 4      Native range from Massachusetts west to Wisconsin and south to Florida and Mississippi.  This is the state tree of Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana
  • Several cultivars are somewhat available:
    • ‘Aureo-marginatum’  (‘Aureomarginatum’)  -  variegated, leaved gold-edged at frist then greenish-yellow, green center.  Monrovia Nursery offers it as Majestic Beauty®
    • ‘Contortum’  (‘Crispum’)  -  leaves contorted and margins undulated.
    • ‘Fatigiatum’  (‘Arnold’)  -  narrow tree, upright branches; 25 ft tall and 8 ft wide in 10 years.
    • ‘Medio-pictum’  (‘Mediopictum’, ‘Aureopictum’)  -  variegated, leaves green except for a yellow blotch in the center
  • Liriodendron: from Greek, leiron, lily, and dendron, tree   tulipifera: tulip-bearing
  • Corvallis: large tree in front of City Hall on Madison Ave; two trees in Central Park, the one on the north side is the tallest tree in the park.
  • Oregon State Univ. campus: in front of the Women's Building, south side.
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  • plant habit, spring

    plant habit, spring

  • flowers and leaves, spring

    flowers and leaves, spring

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    flower and flower bud

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    flower development

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    flower

  • plant habit, summer

    plant habit, summer

  • leaf

    leaf

  • leaves and fruit

    leaves and fruit

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    fruit development

  • plant habit, fall

    plant habit, fall

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    leaves, fall

  • plant habit, winter

    plant habit, winter

  • fruit, at seed drop, winter

    fruit, at seed drop, winter

  • mature fruit and seeds,winter

    mature fruit and seeds,winter

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    winter twigs, buds

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    trunks, bark