Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Magnoliids: Magnoliales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Liriodendron tulipifera var. tulipifera
FAMILY
Magnoliaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
You may also want to check Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina
Learn more about Tuliptree from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
"If you look at a Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) in winter, you’ll see something resembling flower petals splayed out against the background of the sky. What!? Flower petals…in winter!? They’re not petals. Rather, these are the bottom scales from the fruits that have dropped their seeds. The formation of these fruits started back in early spring." Visit Southern Piedmont Natural History to learn more about and see images of this annual process from flower bud to mature fruit.
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Liriodendron tulipifera
FAMILY
Magnoliaceae
INCLUDING Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Liriodendron tulipifera var. obtusiloba
INCLUDING Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Liriodendron tulipifera var. tulipifera
INCLUDED WITHIN Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Liriodendron tulipifera
INCLUDED WITHIN Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 3 (1997)
Liriodendron tulipifera
INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 080-01-001:
Liriodendron tulipifera FAMILY Magnoliaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Liriodendron tulipifera
COMMON NAME:
Tulip-tree, Yellow Poplar, Whitewood
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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Trees You Want to Know (Peattie, 1934); illustration by F.A. Michaux dcp34_p34a
)
JK Marlow jkm191222_2355_l_tulipife
Clay County AL
Cheaha State Park
)
Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905) mtna_i_384
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_litu_001_lvd
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_litu_012_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm0301a_10a
January Greenville County SC
Roadside
)
JK Marlow jkm0401b_20
January Pickens County SC
Jocassee Gorges
Bark light gray & smooth on young trunks w black V markings below branches, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
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JK Marlow jkm090109_009
January Greenville County SC
)
Gill Newberry gn02_l_tulipifera_fruit
February
Lowermost scales of the conelike upright fruit persist through winter, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
Gill Newberry gn02_l_tuliplifera_branch
February
)
JK Marlow jkm100314_031
March Decatur County GA
Old bark is thickly ridged and furrowed, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
)
JK Marlow jkm230322_1925
March Oconee County SC
Sumter National Forest: Andrew Pickens Ranger District
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_l_tulipifera_2
March
Mature bark gray to brown, with narrow ridges, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
)
Alan S. Weakley asw_760412349021670
April SC
Jocassee Gorges
)
JK Marlow jkm0104c_08a
April Greenville County SC
Every leaf on this particular tree is missing the lower lobes.
)
JK Marlow jkm0204f_07
April Greenville County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm120429_896
April Greenville County SC
The flower's many stamens and pistils are spirally arranged, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm120429_900
April Greenville County SC
Sepals 3, reflexed. Petals 6, in two rows, per Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988).
)
JK Marlow jkm160422_034
April Sevier County TN
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Old bark...
)
JK Marlow jkm220421_7173
April Pickens County SC
Nine Times Forest
Note what looks like white to silver-white chalk dust in the channels & depressions of the bark, per Identifying Trees: An All-Season Guide to Eastern North America (Williams, 2007).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_l_tulipifera4211
April Floyd County GA
Coosa River Nature Center
)
JK Marlow s000427_g
April Greenville County SC
Broadly notched leaves with 4-6 lobes, per Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011).
)
JK Marlow s040405_a
April Greenville County SC
Twigs bear large terminal buds with 2 glabrous, valvate scales, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
)
JK Marlow jkm200522_5154
May Transylvania County NC
Mature leaves of fertile branches large, 4-8-lobed (sun lvs), terminal lobes acute to acuminate, per Weakley's Flora (2023).
)
Keith Bradley kab_l_tulipifera_73546
May Jackson County? NC
Nantahala National Forest
Trees grow almost 20 yrs before flowering, then can flower for 200 yrs, per Teaching the Trees (Maloof, 2007).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_l_tulipifera
May
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_l_tulipifera_3
May MA
Arnold Arboretum
The flowers must pollinated within 24 hours after opening or no seeds, per Teaching the Trees (Maloof, 2007).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_l_tulipifera_5
May
Flowers showy, tulip-shaped, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm0207c_01
July Greenville County SC
Roadside
)
JK Marlow jkm230720_4662
July Greenville County SC
Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve
interesting how the roots find their way through the rocks...
)
Gill Newberry gn08_liriodendron_bark
August
Young trunks smooth, thin, gray, often w white striping as furrows develope, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).
)
Paul Thompson pstliriodendron_tulipife
September?
Note that the stipule scars encircle the twig. — Clemson Extension
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_l_tulipifera_1
October
)
Gill Newberry gn11_l_fall_color
November
)
JK Marlow jkm0311d_01
November Jackson County NC
Roadside
)
JK Marlow jkm0411b_22
November Haywood County NC
Roadside
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_l_tulipif_1_bark
December Floyd County GA
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Liriodendron tulipifera var. tulipifera
FAMILY
Magnoliaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Liriodendron tulipifera
FAMILY
Magnoliaceae
INCLUDING
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Liriodendron tulipifera var. obtusiloba
INCLUDING
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Liriodendron tulipifera var. tulipifera
INCLUDED WITHIN
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Liriodendron tulipifera
INCLUDED WITHIN
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 3
Liriodendron tulipifera
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 080-01-001:
Liriodendron tulipifera
FAMILY
Magnoliaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Liriodendron tulipifera
849
Tree
Perennial
Habitat: Mesic forests, cove forests in the Mountains to at least 1500m in elevation, bottomland forests and swamps, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Greenish-yellow with orange blotch
Radially symmetrical
3 sepals
6 petals
Numerous stamens
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Samara
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Wasowski & Wasowski, 1994, 2020) p045
- Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee (Hunter, 2002) p297
- Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers (Campbell, Hutson, Sharp, & Hutson, 1962) p080
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p191
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p128
- Identifying Trees: An All-Season Guide to Eastern North America (Williams, 2007) p396
- Landscaping with Native Trees (Sternberg & Wilson, 1995) p142
- Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007) p232
- Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988) p105
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995) p138
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p083
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance) p25
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011) p242
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p195
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