Tulip-tree

Leaves

Form

• Deciduous, alternate, simple
• Broad shallow notch at the tip
• 4 (sometimes 6) lobes
• Basal lobes broader on juvenile leaves
• Stipules prominent in spring

Length

• 7–12 cm

Width

• As wide as long or wider

Colour

• Light green

Autumn colour

• Yellow

Margin

• Smooth

Petiole

• Slender
• Usually longer than leaf blade

Buds

Form

• Terminal bud flat
• 2 outer scales meet at their edges
• Lateral buds much smaller than terminal, with a powdery coating
• Leaf scars roundish, elevated, with several vein scars

Length

• Terminal bud 12–14 mm

Twigs

Form

• Stout, shiny
• Encircled at each leaf scar by a line of stipule scars
• Pith solid, banded at intervals

Colour

• Brownish

Flowers

Form

• Large, showy, solitary
• At the tips of shoots
• 6 petals
• Insect-pollinated

Length

• 4–6 cm

Width

• About 5 cm

Colour

• Greenish-yellow

Structure

• Synoecious

Floral timing

• After the leaves

Fruits

Form

• Samara
• Spindle-shaped
• Falling away from the central stalk when ripe

Length

• 3–5 cm

Structure

• In cone-like aggregates 5–7 cm
• Central stalk erect, remains on the shoot tip

Seedlings

Form

• Cotyledons leaf-like
• Raised above the surface

Colour

• Green

Bark

Form

• Smooth when young
• Developing firm intersecting rounded ridges

Colour

• Dark green when young, becoming brownish
• Greyish fissures

Wood

Texture

• Light, soft, weak

Colour

• Yellowish- to greenish-brown
• Often with darker streaks

Morphology

• Diffuse-porous
• Pores too small to be visible
• Fine-grained

Figure

• Annual rings and rays visible

Uses

• Easily worked

Size

Height

• To 35 m

Diameter

• To 100 cm

Maximum age

• 150 years

Tree form

Forest-grown

Trunk

• Tall, massive, straight
• Little taper
• Branch-free for two-thirds or more of height

Crown

• Small, narrow, compact

Open-grown

Crown

• Long, irregular

Root system

• Deep, wide-spreading

Habitat

Site

• Deep, rich, moist soils
• Along streams or around swampy areas

Light tolerance

• Intolerant of shade

Associated species

• Usually mixed with other broadleaf trees or eastern hemlock
• Rarely in pure stands

Range

Southern Ontario, on the south shore of Lake Huron, north shore of Lake Erie, and Niagara Peninsula
Planted beyond its range as an ornamental