Tulip Tree

Tulip Tree,Tulip Poplar, Yellow Poplar

Liriodendron tulipfera

Magnoliaceae

▲ young trees

▲ ▼ leaves

▲ flowers

▲ trees survived 2007 ice storm in Springfield, MO with moderate damage

Location on Missouri State University campus: along concrete pad north of Craig Hall

Liriodendron tulipfera: Tulip Tree, Yellow Poplar, Tulip Poplar, Tulip Magnolia

• leaves alternate, deciduous, simple, with 4 squarish lobes (sometimes 6); 3-8" long and wide; light green above and paler beneath
• stems slender to stout, greenish to red-brown, aromatic when bruised; chambered pith
• bark gray brown, with deep lighter gray furrows and close flat ridges
• grows 70-90' tall and 2 to 2/3 as wide in upright oval habit
• flowers large, yellow-green, solitary in terminal locations appearing after leaf emergence in mid to late spring-- not often noticed due to color and presence of foliage; fruit a cone like aggregate
• prefers full sun to moderate shade and moist, well-drained, high organic matter, deep soils; doesn’t do well in dry soils
• fast growth rate
• native to Missouri (and Springfield)