Tulip Tree

Scientific Name:
Liriodendron tulipifera 

Average height at maturity:
70 to 90 feet 

Average width of canopy at maturity:
35 to 50 feet 

Leaves and bark:

  • The tuliptree has 3 to 8 inch long leaves that are glossy green and have 4 lobes and a flat tipped shape..
  • The tuliptree has smooth gray bark with white furrows when it is young and gray-brown bark with furrows when it is older.

Other fun and interesting facts:

  • The tulip tree is native to North America.
  • ‘Tulip’ comes from the Persian word for ‘turban.’
  • The flowers of the tuliptree are tulip-shaped and have a colored band at their base like many tulip flowers do.
  • Tulips do not usually bloom from its branches for the first 15 years of its life.
  • Tuliptrees can easily be damaged by wind or ice because they have soft, flexible wood.
  • They attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and honeybees.
  • George Washington planted tuliptrees at Mount Vernon.
  • Native Americans used tuliptrees to build canoes.
  • Tuliptrees were used for railroad ties and fence posts, and therefore are not as common as they were years ago.
  • It is the state tree of Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
  • Look for a tuliptree near the corner of the middle playground in Wood Park.

 

Sources:

https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/trees-and-plants/tuliptree/
https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/treedetail.cfm?itemID=930
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/liriodendron-tulipifera/
https://www.centralparknyc.org/plants/tulip-tree-tulip-poplar

 

Photo Credit to Ben Leynse
Information compiled as part of Robert Slater’s 2023 Eagle Scout Project