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Fothergilla gardenii Witch Alder
Fothergilla gardenii (Witch Alder). Photo © Mary Free
You are here: Home / Plants / Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic / Trees / Liriodendron tulipifera (Tulip-Poplar, Tuliptree)

Liriodendron tulipifera (Tulip-Poplar, Tuliptree)

Liriodendron tulipifera (Tuliptree) bark detail in March.
Liriodendron tulipifera (Tuliptree) leaves in April.
Liriodendron tulipifera (Tuliptree) flowers in May.
Liriodendron tulipifera (Tuliptree) flower in May.
Liriodendron tulipifera (Tuliptree) woods at at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in May.
Liriodendron tulipifera (Tuliptree) developing fruit in May.
Aggregated winged achenes (samaras) of native Liriodendron tulipifera
The fallen samaras of native Liriodendron tulipifera
Liriodendron tulipifera (Tuliptree) at the U.S. National Arboretum in November.

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Common throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region, Tuliptree is aptly named from the shape of its flowers and leaves to the samara whorls persisting like wooden tulips until spring. It is an excellent shade or ornamental tree for a large property, sited best on lower or concave slopes. It is the favorite tree of Mr. President and the First Lady, bald eagles nesting 80 feet high in a Tulip-Poplar in the U.S. National Arboretum. Tried and True Native Plants of the Mid-Atlantic Tree Flowers, Leaves, Fruit, Trees, Mature Bark Height: 70–100 feet Spread: 35–50 feet Bloom Color: Greenish-yellow Characteristics Long-lived, fast-growing, tall and straight-trunked deciduous tree with pyramidal shape when young Alternate, smooth, shiny green, tulip-shaped leaves, paler green beneath; yellow fall foliage Showy, tulip-like flowers blooming April to June Fruits (samaras) aggregated in a cone-like structure that breaks apart Oct–Nov leaving a tulip-like whorl in bare branches until spring Shallow, longitudinal, whitish furrows become deep and interlacing on mature bark Attributes Tolerates clay soil, black walnut; sensitive to heat (esp. radiated from structures), drought; susceptible to wind/ice damage in exposed areas; no serious pests (aphid secretions can be a nuisance and lead to sooty mold growth) or diseases (canker most serious); deer seldom severely damage Sheds small and lower branches as it grows Attracts yellow-bellied sapsuckers to phloem, song birds & small mammals to fruit, hummers to flowers Growing and Maintenance Tips Soil Requirements: Well-drained, organically rich Light Requirements: Sun, Partial Shade Water Requirements: Moist Prune to ground every 2–3 years to grow as shrub Use as shade or ornamental tree on large property Hardiness: USDA Zones 4-9 Excellent Replacement for Ailanthus altissima - Tree of Heaven Alnus glutinosa - European Alder Quercus acutissima Carruthers - Sawtooth Oak Ulmus pumila L. - Siberian Elm developed by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, serving Arlington and Alexandria Images by Elaine Mills, private garden, Arlington, VA, Longwood Gardens, & Oatlands and by Mary Free (middle), Fairlington Community Center

Tried and True Native Plant Selections 
for the Mid-Atlantic

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Liriodendron tulipifera (Tulip-Poplar)

Common throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region, Tuliptree is aptly named from the shape of its flowers and leaves to the samara whorls persisting like wooden tulips until spring. It is an excellent shade or ornamental tree for a large property, sited best on lower or concave slopes. It was the favorite tree of Mr. President and the First Lady, bald eagles that nested 80 feet high in a Tulip-Poplar in the U.S. National Arboretum.

Learn more about other Mid-Atlantic plants: 
Tried and True Native Plant Fact Sheets