TreeRM

Tulip poplar

Liriodendron tulipifera 路 Magnoliaceae 路 also Tuliptree, Yellow-poplar

The tallest eastern hardwood: a fast, straight-trunked tree with an oval crown, square-tipped four-lobed leaves that turn clear gold in fall, and tulip-shaped green-and-orange flowers high in the canopy in late spring. Cone-like seed clusters persist through winter. It is a magnificent lawn or park tree but too large and brittle for small lots or narrow planting strips, and its fleshy roots and leaves scorch in drought.

Broadleaf, drops leavesFast growingFull sunModerate water
Tulip poplar
Jean-Pol GRANDMONT, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Where it stands

Native

  • 馃嚚馃嚘 ON, Canada 路 Native to the Carolinian zone of southern Ontario.source
  • 馃嚭馃嚫 United States 路 Native across the eastern US from Connecticut and Illinois to Florida and Louisiana (more than 15 states); state tree of Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee.source

Recommended

  • 馃嚚馃嚘 Toronto, ON, Canada 路 On Toronto's list of species planted on streets (native to Ontario).source
  • 馃嚭馃嚫 Portland, OR, United States 路 On Portland's approved street tree list for planting strips 8.5 ft and wider.source

Care

Plant in early spring in deep, moist, well-drained soil and keep it evenly watered; it drops leaves in hot, dry spells. Structural pruning when young helps because limbs break in wind and ice. Aphids and the sooty mold that grows on their honeydew are the usual complaint; verticillium wilt and cankers are occasional.

Benefits

ShadeFast canopyFlowersFall colorPollinatorsWildlifeBirdsLong lived

Good for

Yard shadeparksTimber

Watch out for

Weak woodSurface rootsHeavy litterPest prone