Yellow Poplar

Yellow-poplar     (Tuliptree, Tulip-poplar)     

Liriodendron tulipifera L.

Mature Size: Typically 90 to 110 feet in height but can reach nearly 200 feet in height, 2 to 3 feet in diameter but can reach 10 feet in diameter.

Form: Very long, straight trunk with a compact, pyramidal crown.  

Where to Find Them: Various moist, well-drained sites statewide, but attains best growth on deep moist soils along streams and in lower mountain coves.

source Leaves: Alternate, simple, 4 to 6 inches long and wide, smooth-edged; usually 4 pointed lobes, the outer two lobes often flattened into a squared end; fall color is yellow.

Fruit: 21⁄2- to 3-inch cone-like cluster of woody, slender, wing-like seeds, breaking up at maturity in fall, leaving a spike with a few whorls of seeds, resembling wooden flowers.

Wildlife Use: Sprouts and buds are a major food of deer. Birds and squirrels eat the seeds. The flowers are an important nectar source for honey production.

Bark:  Light gray with shallow furrows on young trees, later becoming thick with flat- topped ridges and white furrows.