Tulip Tree

Tulip Tree, common name for a deciduous tree of the magnolia family. The tree is native to the eastern United States, where it is the tallest and largest broad-leaved tree. Tulip trees almost 60 m (200 ft) in height and 3 m (12 ft) in diameter are on record. The solitary, tulip-shaped, greenish-yellow flowers have three sepals, six petals, numerous stamens, and many pistils arranged in a narrow column. The fruit is a cone-shaped cluster of samaras, or dry, usually one-seeded winged fruits. Well-known cultivated varieties are one having yellow-edged leaves and another having lobeless, rounded leaves. In the United States, tulip-tree timber is sometimes called whitewood, yellow poplar, or tulip poplar. The timber is used extensively in cabinetmaking and in other woodworking processes. The name tulip tree is sometimes extended to other trees having tulip-shaped flowers, including the mountain mahoe, the portia tree, and the banana shrub.

Scientific classification: The tulip tree belongs to the family Magnoliaceae. It is classified as Liriodendron tulipifera. The cultivar with yellow-edged leaves is classified as Liriodendron tulipifera variety aureomarginatum and the cultivar with lobeless, rounded leaves as Liriodendron tulipifera variety integrifolium. The mountain mahoe, classified as Hibiscus tiliaceus, and the portia tree, classified as Thespesia populnea, belong to the family Malvaceae. The banana shrub belongs to the family Magnoliaceae and is classified as Michelia fuscata.