Tulip Tree

Tulip Tree, or yellow poplar, is a large, stately, deciduous tree of eastern North America with a pyramidal to broad conical habit. Trunks of mature trees may reach 4 to 6 feet in diameter, usually rising column-like with an absence of lower branching. It is named and noted for its cup-shaped, tulip-like flowers that bloom in spring. Flowers are yellow with an orange band at the base of each petal, although the flowers can go unnoticed on large trees because the flowers appear after the leaves are fully developed. Sometimes the flowers are first noticed when the petals begin to fall. Flowers are followed by dry, scaly, oblong, cone-shaped brown fruits, each bearing numerous seeds. Bright green leaves turn golden yellow in the fall. Wood is used for furniture, plywood, boat building, paper pulp and general lumber. Native Americans made dugout canoes from tulip tree trunks.