Arkansas Tree Database

Scientific name:

Liriodendron Tulipifera

Size:

up to 150' tall by half as wide

Leaves:

alternate, simple, resembling a tulip, 4"-6" across, with 4 and sometimes 6 lobes; bright green above and paler beneath

Flowers:

unique tulip-shaped flowers, greenish yellow with bright orange areas around the base; April-June

Fruit:

cone-like aggregate of samaras, 2"-3" long

Fall Interest:

clear yellow; deciduous

Culture:

sun; deep, rich, moist soil; adaptable and very fast growing

Disease/Insect:

Use:

shade tree, woodland tree; good source of pollen for bees and spring honey

Cultivars:

Notes:

bark gray and smooth when young, becoming thick, deeply furrowed, and ridged with age; in the same family as magnolia but called tulip poplar by early lumbermen because its wood is lightweight like that of poplar; Native Americans made medicinal tea from bark; native to Arkansas