This document describes the yellow-poplar tree, also known as the tuliptree. It can reach heights of 150 feet tall in the southern US, with a pyramidal crown shape when young and broad spreading crown when older. It has large alternate leaves that are broadly ovate to orbicular in shape with 4 lobes. Its flowers are greenish-yellow with orange markings and appear after the leaves. The fruit is a light brown oblong cone. The yellow-poplar prefers deep, rich moist soil and is found in every county in Alabama. It can be identified by its unique leaves, tulip-shaped flowers, and stipular scars encircling the twigs.

1. YELLOW-POPLAR
Liriodendron tulipifera L.
OTHER COMMON NAMES: Tuliptree, Poplar, Tulip-poplar, White-poplar, Whitewood.
FORM: One of the largest trees of the Eastern states; reaches greatest height in the
South, where it may attain a height of 150 feet with trunk diameter 5-6 feet; farther north,
its height 50-80 feet, diameter 2-3 feet; crown in young trees pyramidal, in older, rather
shallow, broad, and spreading.
BARK: On young trees, smooth and ashy-gray; on mature trees bark thick, brown, with
shallow furrows, and rounded ridges.
TWIGS: At first green, smooth, rather slender, often branching, become somewhat
glaucous, reddish-brown, finally dark gray.
LEAVES: Alternate, simple, broadly ovate to orbicular, 5-6 inches long, truncate or
broadly notched at the apex, rounded or cuneate at the base, sinuately 4-lobed, dark green
and lustrous above, dull green and paler below.
FLOWERS: Appear after the leaves, terminal, solitary, greenish-yellow with orange
markings, cup-shaped, 2-5 inches wide, l-l 1/2 inches deep, perfect, with 3 reflexed sepals,
and 6 converging petals.
FRUIT: A light brown oblong-pointed cone, 2-3 inches long, about l/2 inch wide, consisting
of carpels l-l l/2 inch long in the base of which the seeds are contained.
WINTER BUDS: Terminal bud oblong, flattened, obtuse, dark red, lustrous, somewhat
glaucous, with white dots, 1/2-l inch long; bud scales stipular, and valvate in pairs; lateral
buds similar, divergent, sometimes superposed or terminal on short spurs, l/8-1/2 inch long.
WOOD: Light, soft, brittle, weak,straight-grained, pale greenish-yellow or
greenish-brown, thin nearly white sapwood.
USES: Lumber, furniture, veneer. Historical uses: Shingles, woodenware.
HABITAT: Prefers deep, rich, moist soil along streams, bottom lands and on moist slopes,
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS: Leaves peculiar only to the yellow-poplar; the
tulip-shaped flower; stipular scars encircling the twigs at the nodes; pith often divided by
partitions of stone cells.
DISTRIBUTION IN ALABAMA: In every county in the state.
EXPLANATION OF PLATE
1. A fruit
2. Diagram of a flower
3. A flower, a sepal and two petals
removed
4. A stamen, anterior view
5. A stamen, posterior view
6. A pistil
7. A stigma
8. Vertical section of an ovary
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
An ovule
A carpel
Vertical section of a carpel
A seed showing the raphe
A seed, showing the side
opposite the raphe
Vertical section of a seed
Cross section of a seed
An embryo
63

2. 9
B
16
V
Liriodendron tulipifera L.
Plate 63
This information is provided by the
Alabama Forestry Commission
www.forestry.state.al.us