Tree of the Month: Tulip Poplar
Tennessee’s State Tree
One of the most beloved and common trees in Tennessee is the tulip poplar—so much so that it is the state tree! This poplar is so popular, in fact, that it’s the State tree for two others: Kentucky and Indiana.
This shade tree grows quickly and is one of the tallest in North America. Despite its name, the tulip poplar isn’t a true poplar; it’s actually related to the magnolia tree. This relationship is more obvious when you take a close look at the shape of the beautiful flowers it puts out in spring, with greenish-yellow and orange petals. Here, we’ll go over the many reasons why planting a tulip poplar in your yard is a great choice if you’re looking for a new tree to install!
Identifying a Tulip Poplar by Its Foliage
Native to the Eastern forests of North America, the tulip poplar or yellow poplar is widespread and easily identifiable. That’s because the tree’s form is unique in many ways, from the curves of its trunk to the shape of its leaves.
The figure of the leaves is very particular to the tree: they’re shaped like a tulip! The tulip tree’s leaves are stout, with three lobes in the shape of a tulip flower. These distinctive leaves turn a golden yellow in the fall, further referencing its namesake—the scientific name, Liriodendron tulipifera, means “tulip-bearing lily tree.” While the leaves look somewhat like a maple, the lobes are wider and fewer in number, making it easily distinguishable from any other leaf around.
The tree’s cup-shaped flowers bloom in early spring from late April into early June, and they look more similar to magnolia flowers than tulips, aside from their color. The yellow petals have a greenish tint with orange interiors. The flowers of a tulip poplar are important sources of pollen for native insects, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
A tulip poplar seeds grow grouped together in a cone shape, with each individual seed having long wings that help it get distributed by the wind. These types of seeds, called “samaras,” are commonly known as helicopters and are also found on maples, ashes, and elms.
Identifying a Tulip Poplar by Its Structure
While the easiest way to identify a tulip poplar tree is by its leaves and flowers, the body of this tree is also relatively distinct. The tulip poplar’s bark is a medium to light gray color, with vertical ridges in a diamond pattern and deep furrows. The long, rough, interlacing ridges are flat-topped, giving the tree a smooth look from far away.
The shape of the tulip tree’s trunk is perfectly round and straight, like a telephone pole. A tulip poplar’s trunk is clear of branches on the lower half—a characteristic that owes to the tree’s sun-loving nature. The tree’s trunk is so straight and the wood so strong that it was sought after especially during colonial times to build ship masts to hold the biggest sails steady. The tree also has notable medicinal qualities that were used for millennia by the Cherokee First Nation people, and were later discovered and used in modern Western medicine up until the 20th century.
This canopy tree is a very fast grower, shooting upwards with noticeable growth year over year. While its average mature height is 80 feet, in open conditions, it will easily grow well over 100 feet tall. It’s a sun-loving tree that is a great option for parks and open spaces, which will encourage one to reach its maximum height. The crown is comparatively compact, which allows the tree to grow as tall as it can. But don’t let this tree’s fast-growing habit make you think it’s a soft wooded species — quite the opposite, this tree is one of the fastest growing hardest woods in the forest, so it’s an easy and safe choice for your yard close to your house.
As a canopy tree, tulip poplars aren’t very tolerant of shade, which is why they will grow so tall so quickly. This height makes it a great option for birds of all kinds to build their nests and for squirrels to run through and rest high above the ground. As noted earlier, the tree’s pollen-rich flowers are an important resource for local pollinators of all kinds.
Tulip poplars are widespread across Eastern North America, and they’re tolerant of a range of soil conditions. However, they don’t do well near salt, so while they make wonderful additions to yards and parks, they aren’t the best street trees. They prefer well-draining, moist soils (like clay and loam) and can tolerate acidic ground, which makes them good for urban and neighborhood environments. When properly cared for, a tulip tree can easily live for over a hundred years!
Tulip Tree vs. Tulip Poplar
The tree Liriodendron tulipifera is known by many names, including the yellow poplar, tulip tree, tulip poplar, and tulip wood; however, these all refer to the same species. It’s known as a poplar because its leaves will quiver in the wind like a poplar tree, although their leaves have extremely different shapes. A true poplar has round, simple leaves with no lobes. True poplars also have a bushier, wider canopy and are shorter than a tulip tree. The tulip tree, as noted earlier, isn’t related to poplars at all but is one of two types of trees in the order Magnoliales, composed of magnolia trees and tulip poplars.
What Is the Downside of a Tulip Poplar Tree?
There are very few downsides to this amazing tree! There are only situations where a tulip poplar might not be the right choice. Due to its height, it shouldn’t be planted super close to a building. However, if you have a large enough yard, you can plant it about 100 feet away from your house and from power lines, keeping within the rule of thumb to plant trees at a distance at least equal to that of their expected mature height. Their intolerance of salty soil also means they shouldn’t be planted too closely to roads or driveways that get salted in winter months.
Aside from those two conditions, tulip poplars thrive in Nashville. Consider purchasing one through the Nashville Tree Conservation Corps’ tree sale this fall to plant one or more of these wonderful, native specimens in your yard. As a tall canopy tree that can provide lots of shade and habitat for wildlife, it’s an excellent contribution to Nashville’s tree cover that will provide benefits for many decades.
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