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The Tulip tree is a large and valuable tree. It grows to a height of 50-70 feet with a trunk diameter of 8 feet. The trunk is usually very straight and continuous to the top. The limbs are slender and horizontal, but drooping at the base. The bark is brownish gray, often with dark reddish brown ridges, the perpendicular furrows are short and deep. The leaves are smooth, bright yellow green, and lighter beneath. They are four lobe, cut nearly square across the top, rounded at the base, toothless and long stemmed. The tulip-shaped flowers are pale yellow-green 3-4 inches wide, stained orange at the base, and bloom in May-June. The many green anthers are long and slender. The fruit is light brown and conelike, which open to many divisions, each containing one or two orange seeds. The Tulip Tree is common in moist soils, and is distributed from Vermont to Florida and west to Wisconsin. The wood is often used for the interior finishes of houses, construction, cabinets, and boats.
Information about this plant from the USDA Plants Database.
Information from the TreeGuide from Athenic Systems.
This page was last updated 11 Jun 2003.