State Prints - Tn Treasures Too Tulip Poplar

The Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), a.k.a. tulip tree or yellow poplar, became the "State Tree"
of Tennessee in (1947). Not an actual poplar, the tulip poplar is a member of the magnolia family.
Its name is derived from the greenish-yellow tulip-like flowers the tree produces in the spring, usually
in May. The leaves look like silhouettes of a tulip, although most say that has nothing to do with its
name. The flowers' petals fall shortly after blooming, leaving behind cone-shaped clusters of winged
seeds that ripen in the fall and drift away. The seeds are eaten by various types of birds and small
animals, but aren't great favorites of any, except possibly cardinals. Once the seeds are blown away
or devoured, the cones remain throughout the winter.

Tulip poplars thrive in deep, moist soils along streams and in mountain coves. They need full
sunlight to grow and develop; in dense woods, newly-germinated seedlings will survive only a few
weeks. Stands of tulip poplars are usually established in abandoned fields by wind-borne seeds.
Tulip poplars are rapid-growing and long-lived. They grow straight and are tall, averaging a hundred
feet tall.