Tulip Poplar

Commonly known as the tulip polar, American tulip tree or yellow poplar, the species Liriodendron tulipifera, is one of the largest and most beautiful trees found in eastern North America. It can grow up to a staggering 190 feet in height, often with no limbs until it reaches 80 to 100 feet, making it a very valuable timber tree. It is called the tulip poplar because of the conspicuous tulip-shaped pale green or yellow flowers with bright orange markings. The tulip poplar is actually not a poplar at all, but a member of the magnolia family, with wood that is moderately light and easily worked. The tulip poplar is planted for reforestation purposes because of its rapid growth and the commercial importance of its wood, and is often planted purely as an ornamental. The Taylor “Liberty Tree” guitars featured tulip poplar wood taken from the Annapolis Liberty Tree, which was felled by Hurricane Floyd.