Also known as the tulip tree, it is a large deciduous tree that owes its name to its eye-catching tulip-shaped flowers.
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Division | Magnoliophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Magnoliales |
| Family | Magnoliaceae |
| Genus | Liriodendron |
| Species | Liriodendron tulipifera |
It is a large tree with deciduous leaves of a characteristic four-lobed silhouette reminiscent of the shape of a tulip flower. In spring and early summer it produces solitary, cup-shaped flowers, yellowish-green with an orange blotch at the base of the petals.
It is native to eastern North America, where it forms part of the deciduous forests from southern Canada to Florida. It was introduced to Europe in the mid-17th century as one of the first North American trees grown in British gardens.
Despite its name and its tulip-shaped flowers, it is related neither to tulips nor to poplars (which its wood also resembles, hence the English name “yellow-poplar”): it actually belongs to the magnolia family.
