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Common name: Tuliptree, Yellow-poplar
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Latin name: Liriodendron
tulipifera Common name: Tuliptree, Yellow-poplar |
In
forest stands, the trunk of mature tuliptree is very straight, tall, and clear of lateral
branches for a considerable height. It is among the tallest of all Eastern United States
broadleaf trees. On the best sites, old-growth trees may be nearly 200 ft high and 8
to 12 ft d.b.h., but more often they are from 100 to 150 at maturity, with a straight
trunk 2 to 5 ft in diameter. Age at natural death is usually about 200 to 250 years.
However, some trees may live up to 300 years. At The Morton Arboretum there are a number
of trees that appear to have 2 or 3 trunks.
Twigs are moderately stout, olive-brown, to reddish brown depending on the season. Twigs
are very smooth and usually lustrous.
The buds of Liriodendron tulipifera are valvate and look like a duck's bill.
The terminal bud is significantly larger than the lateral buds. The outer scales leave
stipule rings that surround the twig.
The fruit of the tuliptree is a conelike aggregate of many winged carpels. It is an upright green "cone-like" structure during the summer and ripens and matures from early August in the North to late October in the South.
The individual, winged samaras, which seem almost "woody" may be scattered by the wind
to distances equal to four or five times the height of a tree. Yellow-poplar seeds retain
their viability in the forest floor from 4 to 7 years.
The outer scales and center spike may remain on the tree throughout the winter.
See more spring and summer photos of Liriodendron tulipifera at Wcisel.com
| Kingdom: Plantae -- Plants | |||||||||
| Subkingdom: Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants | |||||||||
| Superdivision: Spermatophyta -- Seed plants | |||||||||
| Division: Magnoliophyta -- Flowering plants | |||||||||
| Class: Magnoliopsida -- Dicotyledons | |||||||||
| Subclass: Magnoliidae | |||||||||
| Order: Magnoliales | |||||||||
| Family: Magnoliaceae -- Magnolia family | |||||||||
| Genus: Liriodendron L. – tuliptree | |||||||||
| Species: Liriodendron tulipifera L. – tuliptree | |||||||||
Resources:
Silvics
of North America: 1. Conifers; 2. Hardwoods. Agriculture Handbook 654.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Washington, DC. vol.2, 877 p.
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/liriodendron/tulipifera.htm
See summer photos of this tree at Wcisel.com
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