Tulip Poplar Tree – 3 Gallon Pot

Named for its yellow heartwood and attractive flowers, the Tulip Poplar is one of the fastest and tallest growing of North American native trees reaching 90 to 120 feet tall and 30 to 60 feet wide at maturity with a pyramidal form. In late spring, abundant cup-shaped flowers resembling tulips appear. The fragrant flowers have 6 chartreuse to yellow petals in 2 rows with a reddish orange band at the base and an orange center on the inside. The lush foliage consists of large, 4-lobed, bright green leaves that measure up to 8 inches across and 6 inches long. With the arrival of cooler temperatures in fall the leaves turn to bright yellow and golden shades. The bark is smooth on young trees but with age develops deep furrows. Very easy to grow and low-maintenance, if you’re looking to have a large tree fast, the Tulip Poplar is a fine selection that can live 400 years or more in age.

This tree supports pollinators and is a larval host plant. The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly has three flights from February-November in the deep south and March-September in the north. The Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly has two broods from April-October, and Viceroy butterfly has two to three broods from May-September and all year in Florida. Hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, and birds like cedar waxwings feed on the nectar from flowers. White-tailed deer, gray squirrels, and some songbirds eat the flowers in the spring. Seeds are primary food for deer and squirrels.