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  6. Liriodendron tulipifera

Liriodendron tulipifera

Common names:  Tulip Tree , Tulip Poplar, Yellow Poplar, Tulip Magnolia,  

Whitewood 

Irish name:  N/A 

Latin name:  Liriodendron tulipifera 

Family:  Magnolia 

Origin:  Non native 

Tree type: Deciduous broadleaf tree

How it looks

Shape, bark, twigs 

Liriodendron tulipifera is a large, deciduous tree growing 60-90 feet tall, occasionally up to 150 feet. It has a long, straight trunk with minimal lower branching, especially in mature trees. Young trees have smooth, light gray or grayish-brown bark with small white spots. As the tree gets older, its bark becomes thicker and develops a pattern of flat-topped ridges with deep grooves. On mature trees, you'll see light-colored grooves between darker, thick ridges 

Buds  

The buds are elongated and valvate, resembling a "duck's bill" due to their shape and the way the scales meet end-to-end. The bud scales are typically reddish-brown, violet, or greenish 

Leaves  

The leaves, which are bright green and have 4 lobes up to 8 inches across, change to a golden yellow colour in the fall. 

Flowers  

This tree is known for its tulip-shaped flowers that bloom in spring. They are yellow with an orange stripe and about 2 inches long. They can be hard to spot on large trees but are often noticed when their petals fall. 

Fruits  

The flowers are succeeded by dry, scaly, oblong, cone-shaped brown fruits, each containing many winged seeds. 

Similar species  

Liriodendron chinense and  Liriodendron × sinoamericanum, 

Where to find it

Native to eastern North America, was introduced to Britain in the 17th century. It is named after its flower which resembles a tulip. It is a large ornamental tree, quite common in large gardens and parks. 

Cultural importance

History | Arts and Literature 

History 

The Tulip tree has been of great cultural importance to the First Nations peoples of North America, such as the Cherokee and the Rappahannock, for thousands of years. Indigenous communities used different parts of the Tulip tree for their various medicinal benefits in the treatment of, for instance, digestive and dermatological issues, pain, fever, snake bites and headaches. They also used the wood in the construction of houses, furniture, cradles, totem poles and dugout canoes. The straightness of the Tulip tree made it especially suitable for crafting canoes, thus earning it the name, ‘canoe wood’ or ‘canoe tree’. Other uses include the processing of the wood to make paper and baskets.  

It is thought that First Nations revered the Tulip tree for its height, as well as symbolically as a type of axis mundi or world tree that connected the earth to the sky.  

The tulip tree was equally popular amongst the European settlers who colonised America in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Not only did they use it extensively in the construction of houses, it was also used to make smaller domestic and ornamental items such as various kitchen utensils, pillboxes, berry baskets, tobacco barrels, cigar boxes, Bible boxes and musical instruments. It is even thought that the Wright Brothers used the wood of the Tulip tree in the construction of the first-ever successful engine-powered airplane. In addition, the Tulip had medicinal value for settlers and was used as tonic to treat chronic arthritis. 

The Tulip tree was also particularly symbolic for Euro-American settlers, for whom it represented the founding of America. Specific trees, including Tulip trees, were often used by settlers as witnesses of the transfer of land from First Nations peoples to settlers. In this capacity they were sometimes referred to as ‘treaty trees’. These ‘witness’ trees were intended to mark the colonisation of Indigenous traditional territories and to symbolize settler occupation and the settler ideals of progress, civilization and modernity. A good example of this type of memorialisation is the Tulip tree at Inwood Park Hill in Manhattan, New York, that once grew on the former site of a Lenape First Nations village and was thus seen as a witness to the colonisation of the Lenape First Nations traditional territory in 1626. The tree fell in 1933, but a plaque dedicated to tree and its symbolism was erected on the site in 1954. Examining the historic symbolism of the tree and the later plaque from a critical perspective, Lisa Blee (2020) suggests that ultimately, ‘This memorial maintains the narrative erasure of Indigenous people from modernity and the city while celebrating the dispossession of Native people as a measure of progress’.  

Adding to their political significance, Tulip trees were often used as gathering places in towns and cities across America, where Euro-American settlers could discuss the philosophies surrounding what they believed were their God given rights to liberty and justice. During the American revolution, specific trees, including many Tulip trees, were planted throughout the thirteen colonies as symbols of liberty, becoming known as Liberty Trees. It is perhaps fitting in this regard that the Tulip Tree was a favourite of the first President of America, George Washington. He even planted a Tulip tree on his plantation in Virginia, which now stands as a symbol of his role in American history, and for this reason still attracts visitors today. 

The Tulip tree was introduced to Britain in the mid 1600s and apparently one of the first American trees to be cultivated. It became a very popular ornamental tree and was widely planted in parks and gardens throughout Europe. Legend has it that the British queen, Elizabeth I planted a Tulip Tree. The oldest surviving Tulip tree in Europe is thought to be the specimen at Esher Place in Surrey, which was likely planted in the 1680s. Veteran Tulip trees are also found in Ireland, including the one at Knock Abbey, Ardee. Younger examples include those in the UCD and UCC Arboreta. 

Arts and Literature 

The poet William Stafford honoured the Tulip tree as a symbol of resilience and survival in his poem ‘The Tulip Tree’. In 1933, Augustus Post was commissioned to write a poem in honour of the Inwood Tulip tree to celebrate what was referred to as ‘Indian Day’. The poem, which was read to music, and followed by a feast and tribal dances, speaks of the survival of the Tulip tree and how it witnessed the transition from the Indigenous habitation of the site to the settler occupation and the industrial age.  

The Inwood Tulip tree was of such significance that it was frequently painted. Examples include the paintings entitled ‘The Old Tulip Tree’ and ‘Summer Afternoon’ by Ernest Lawson (1873-1939). 

 

Value to wildlife

The seeds of the Tulip tree provide food for birds and small animals, whilst its flowers provide nectar to pollinators, including bees and butterflies. 

Threats

The Tulip tree is susceptible to aphids and scale. Diseases include verticillium wilt, mold, mildew, and canker. Large aphid populations produce honeydew on leaves, fostering sooty mold growth. These fast-growing trees have weak wood, making them prone to limb breakage in high winds or ice. Their shallow root system restricts compatible plants within the drip line. 

Uses

The Tulip tree is used commercially to make furniture, veneer, caskets and pulp. Its broad canopy also makes it a valuable tree for providing shade in urban areas. 

 

References

  • Government of Ontario. 2014. Tulip tree, Government of Ontario, Ministry of Natural Resources. Tulip tree | ontario.ca 
  • Mandirola, E. n.d. Tulip Tree: Overview, University of Vermont Digital Exhibits. Omeka@CTL | About 
  • Reynolds, M.W. 1976. Liriodendron tulipifera- Its Early Uses. Arnoldia, 36(3), pp.119-124. 
  • Yaguchi, Y. 1981. On One Aspect of William Stafford′ s Poetry, in Y. Yaguchi (ed.), Amerika gendaishi no ichimen. Hokusei College Literature.228559556.pdf 

 

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