Tulip Poplar - 'Liriodendron tulipifera' The Tulip Poplar or Yellow Poplar is a magnificent tree that has beautiful bright green leaves that turn a lovely butter yellow in the fall. In the late spring and late summer, the Tulip Poplar produced a stunning spectacle of lovely tulip like flowers that are greenish yellow outside and orange inside. Rediscovered during the seventeenth century, Tulip Poplars are native to the Eastern United States. By 1688, it was a favorite tree of the European royals who were inadvertently responsible for its re-emergence to the European landscape following the second ice age. It a very tough deciduous trees and is considered the finest and largest of the summer flowering trees. It is grown from Nova Scotia to Florida. They make excellent reforestation and timber trees and are known to live for centuries under the right conditions. With this in mind, Tulip Poplars make perfect candidates for reforestation programs such as the USDA Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and programs sponsored by the EPA.
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| Common Name: | Tulip Poplar, Tuliptree, Tulip Magnolia, Yellow Poplar, and Whitewood |
| Popular Varieties: | Arnold, Aureo-marginatum, Compactum, Fastigiatum, Integrifolium, Medio-pictum, Tortuosum |
| Type: |
Deciduous Shade Tree |
| Family: |
Magnoliaceae |
| Sun Requirements: |
Full Sun |
| Leaves: |
Leaves emerge folded in flag-like outline, mature to bright green in summer, changing to golden yellow or yellow in fall, often superb during October and into early November. Leaves are alternate, simple, 3 to 8 inches across and as long. |
| Size: |
70 to 90 feet in height with a spread of 35 to 50 feet. Some can grow to 150 feet or greater. |
| Hardiness: |
Zone 4 to 9. For an idea of your plant zone please visit the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. |
| Habit: |
In open-grown situations somewhat pyramidal in youth maturing to oval-rounded with several large sinuous branches constituting a framework; in the wild often free of branches for 70 to 80 percent of its height with only a narrow ovoid canopy at the upper reaches. |
| Rate: |
Fast, 15 to 20 feet over 6 to 8 year span. Rapid growing especially when provided ample fertilizer and moisture. |
| Flowers: |
Perfect, with 6 greenish yellow petals in 2 rows, 3 reflexed sepals, interior of the corolla an orangish color. Flowers appear in May to early June and may be slow to flower from seed. |
| Diseases & Insects: |
Cankers, leaf spots, powdery mildews, root and stem rot, Verticillium wilt, leaf yellowing, aphid, scale, tuliptree spot gall; aphids are a real problem; the insect secrets liberal quantities of "honeydew" and the leaves of the plants are often coated with this substance which is then overrun with the sooty mold fungus, which causes a bleackening and unsightliness of the leaves; the leaf yellowing problem can be a headache with newly planted as well as established trees which do not receive adequate water; the leaves abscise prematurely and create a mess that requires constant attention. |
| Landscape Value: |
Not a tree for the small residential property or streets. It should be restricted to large areas and this type of situation only; a very large and magnificent plant when fully grown and developed; somewhat weak-wooded; although variation occurs among individuals and may break up in ice and severe storms. As a specimen on a large property it has great beauty and in fall can be spectacular; perhaps most handsome in large groupings or groves where trees develop a spire-like habit. |
| Soil Preference: |
Prefers a slightly acid soil, but is pH adaptable. Enjoys deep, moist, well-drained loam. |
| Care: |
Prune in winter and water transplants thoroughly and often. |
| Fertilization: |
Fertilize an area three times the canopy spread of the tree 1 to 2 times a year with a 10-10-10 fertilizer. Only fertilize an established tree.
| | Planting Instructions: |
Dig a hole three times the diameter of the root system, with a depth no deeper than the original soil line on trunk. Break up the soil to the finest consistency possible. Place plant in hole and fill, compacting the fill dirt. Water the plant heavily to seal soil around the roots and remove air pockets. Water well, and remember to water regularly until they have started to grow.
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