Tulip Tree,Tulip Poplar, Yellow Poplar

Liriodendron tulipfera

Magnoliaceae

▲ young trees

▲▼ leaves 

▲ flowers 

▲ trees survived 2007 ice storm in Springfield, MO with moderate damage

Location on Missouri State University campus:  along concrete pad north of Craig Hall

Liriodendron tulipfera: Tulip Tree, Yellow Poplar, Tulip Poplar, Tulip Magnolia

·         leaves alternate, deciduous, simple, with 4 squarish lobes (sometimes 6); 3-8" long and wide; light green above and paler beneath

·         stems slender to stout, greenish to red-brown, aromatic when bruised; chambered pith

·         bark gray brown, with deep lighter gray furrows and close flat ridges

·         grows 70-90' tall and 2 to 2/3 as wide in upright oval habit

·         flowers large, yellow-green, solitary in terminal locations appearing after leaf emergence in mid to late spring-- not often noticed due to color and presence of foliage; fruit a cone like aggregate

·         prefers full sun to moderate shade and moist, well-drained, high organic matter, deep soils; doesn’t do well in dry soils

·         fast growth rate

·         native to Missouri (and Springfield)