True Tulip Tree

Seeds: 20  / Botanical name: Liriodendron tulipifera

Unique leaf shape and tulip-like flowers

The tulip tree, native to North America, belongs to the magnolia-like family of plants that are at least 100 million years old, making it one of the oldest living flowering plant species. Its deciduous leaves have a characteristic irregular, four-lobed shape with a blunt tip. The cup-shaped, greenish-yellow flowers with orange spots resemble tulip or magnolia blossoms and average 10 centimeters in diameter. In autumn, the foliage of L. tulipifera turns a fiery golden yellow. The initially conical, dense, and closed crowns become more rounded and spreading with age. As the tree matures, its root system forms a hemispherical base, providing stability and protection from flooding. All parts of the plant, especially the wood and bark, are poisonous to humans.

natural habitat is in the eastern and southeastern United States. Its range extends from northern Rhode Island through Massachusetts and Vermont to northern Florida.