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Tulip Tree

Liriodendron tulipifera

Summary 6

Liriodendron tulipifera—known as the tulip tree, American tulip tree, tuliptree, tulip poplar, whitewood, fiddletree, and yellow-poplar—is the tallest eastern hardwood. It is native to eastern North America from Southern Ontario and Illinois eastward to Rhode Island, and south to central Florida and Louisiana. It can grow to more than 50 m (160 ft) often with no limbs until it reaches 25–30 m (80–100 ft) in height, making it a valuable timber tree. The tallest individual at present (2021) is in the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina and is 191' 10" (58.49 meters) in height. It is the tallest tree in eastern North America.

The tulip tree is generally considered to be a shade-intolerant species that is most commonly associated with the first century of forest succession. In Appalachian forests, it is a dominant species during the 50–150 years of succession, but is absent or rare in stands of trees 500 years or older. One particular group of trees survived in the grounds of Orlagh College, Dublin for 200 years, before having to be cut down in 1990.[16] On mesic, fertile soils, it often forms pure or nearly pure stands. It can and does persist in older forests when there is sufficient disturbance to generate large enough gaps for regeneration.[17] Individual trees have been known to live for up to around 500 years.[18]

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) alexlomas, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://www.flickr.com/photos/51464530@N00/2944496060
  2. (c) Kew on Flickr, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/kewonflickr/9292678448/
  3. (c) Nicholas A. Tonelli, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/nicholas_t/8110964037/
  4. (c) Christine (and John) Fournier, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/9533533@N06/3057070907
  5. (c) lmock, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
  6. Adapted by Tom Pollard from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liriodendron_tulipifera

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