Low riskNot food
Tulip poplar
Liriodendron tulipifera
Indiana’s state tree. Four-lobed leaf with a notched tip; tulip flowers green and orange.
- Marks
- Notched four-lobe leaf; tulip flower; tall straight bole
- Size
- 80–150 ft
- Habitat
- Cove forests and well-drained slopes.
- Season
- Flowers May–June.
- Frequency
- abundant
A straight, fast hardwood of the magnolia family. Leaves look like a cat’s head in silhouette. Flowers are tulip-shaped, high in the crown. Seeds in upright cones.
Uses
Excellent barn and furniture wood. Inner bark was a historic fiber. Bees work the flowers hard.