Tulip Tree (Yellow Poplar)

(Liriodendron tulipifera)

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Yellow Poplar is found through the Eastern Deciduous Forest but is most common in the mid-Atlantic states and is often one of the dominant trees in the forest. The trees are among the largest of the eastern hardwood trees with mature trees running from 80 to 150 feet in height and 4 to 6 feet in diameter.

Yellow Poplar is easily identified. The leaves have long stems and are four-lobed in the vague shape of the tulip flower (hence the common name Tulip Tree). The flowers of Yellow Poplar, unlike most trees, are huge with a diameter of 1.5 to 3 inches. The petals are numerous and yellow-green in color with orange at the base of each petal. The flowers are pollinated by a variety of insects, but primarily beetles. The fruit is a cone-shaped affair with leaf-like scales that disintegrate when mature.

The Yellow Poplar is closely related to the magnolias of which there are several species in the Eastern Deciduous Forest.