Editing Liriodendron

{{Short description|Genus of trees}}
{{redirect|Tulip tree}}
{{automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = {{fossil range|99.7|0}} [[Late Cretaceous]] - present{{cn|date=May 2025}}
| image = Liriodendron tulipifera.jpg
| image_caption = ''Liriodendron tulipifera'' foliage and flower. <br />[[Morton Arboretum]] acc. 500-67*21
| taxon = Liriodendron
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = See [[#Species|here]]
|type_species = ''[[Liriodendron tulipifera]]'' {{au|L.}}<ref name = "Tropicos" />
|synonyms = *''Tulipifera'' {{au|Mill.}}
|synonyms_ref = <ref name = "POWO" />
}}

'''''Liriodendron''''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|l|aɪ|r|i|ə|ˈ|d|ɛ|n|d|r|ən|,_|ˌ|l|ɪr|-|,_|-|i|oʊ|-}}{{refn|{{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Liriodendron |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200322182501/https://www.lexico.com/definition/liriodendron |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-03-22 |title=Liriodendron |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}} }}<ref>''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607.</ref>) is a genus of two species of characteristically large trees, [[deciduous tree|deciduous]] over most of their populations, in the magnolia [[family (biology)|family]] ([[Magnoliaceae]]).

These trees are widely known by the common name '''tulip tree''' or '''tuliptree''' for their large flowers superficially resembling [[tulip]]s. It is sometimes referred to as '''tulip poplar''' or '''yellow poplar''', and the wood simply as "poplar", although not closely related to the true [[Populus|poplars]]. Other common names include canoewood, saddle-leaf tree, and white wood.

The two [[extant taxon|extant]] species are ''[[Liriodendron tulipifera]]'', [[native plant|native]] to eastern [[North America]], and ''[[Liriodendron chinense]]'', native to [[China]] and [[Vietnam]]. Both species often grow to great size; the North American species may reach as much as {{convert|58.5|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} in height.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/trees/tuliptree/records/|title = The thickest, tallest, and oldest tulip trees (Liriodendron tulipifera)}}</ref>  The North American species is commonly used [[horticulture|horticulturally]], the Chinese species is increasing in cultivation, and [[Hybrid (biology)#Hybrid plants|hybrid]]s have been produced between these two [[allopatry|allopatrically]] distributed species.

Various extinct species of ''Liriodendron'' have been described from the fossil record.

[[File:Liriodendron chinense1.jpg|thumb|''Liriodendron chinense'' twig with flowers. Notice that the orange pigment characteristic of ''L. tulipifera'' petals is absent.]]

== Description ==

''Liriodendron'' trees are easily recognized by their [[leaf|leaves]], which are distinctive, having four lobes in most cases and a cross-cut notched or straight apex. Leaf size varies from 8–22&nbsp;cm long and 6–25&nbsp;cm wide. They are deciduous in the vast majority of cases for both species; however, each species has a [[semi-deciduous]] variety at the southern limit of its range in [[Florida]] and [[Yunnan]] respectively.<ref>{{Cite journal|doi=10.3390/f10010013|doi-access=free|title=RAD-Seq Data Point to a Distinct Split in Liriodendron (Magnoliaceae) and Obvious East–West Genetic Divergence in L. Chinense|year=2018|last1=Zhong|first1=Yongda|last2=Yang|first2=Aihong|last3=Liu|first3=Shujuan|last4=Liu|first4=Lipan|last5=Li|first5=Yanqiang|last6=Wu|first6=Zhaoxiang|last7=Yu|first7=Faxin|journal=Forests|volume=10|page=13}}</ref> The tulip tree is often a large tree, 18–60 m high and 60–120&nbsp;cm in diameter. The stoutest well-authenticated Tulip tree was the Liberty Tree in [[Maryland]] which was {{convert|21.5|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} in circumference.<ref>{{cite web|  url= https://www.nativetreesociety.org/projects/middleton/middletonproj.htm | title= Middleton Oak SC and Sag Branch Tulip GSMNP Project| date= February 21, 2004 | access-date= April 24, 2008}}</ref> It died in 1999. The tree is known to reach the height of {{convert|191.8|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}},<ref>{{ cite web|  url= http://www.landmarktrees.net/spring%202011%20latest%20news.html | title= Landmark Trees | date= May 6, 2011 | access-date= December 20, 2011}}</ref> in groves where they compete for sunlight, somewhat less if growing in an open field. Its trunk is usually columnar, with a long, branch-free bole forming a compact, rather than open, conical crown of slender branches. It has deep roots that spread widely.<ref>Michigan Trees</ref>{{Full citation needed|date=May 2025}} 

Leaves are slightly larger in ''L. chinense,'' compared to ''L. tulipifera'', but with considerable overlap between the species; the [[Petiole (botany)|petiole]] is 4–18&nbsp;cm long. Leaves on young trees tend to be more deeply lobed and larger in size than those on mature trees. In autumn, the leaves turn yellow, or brown and yellow. Both species grow rapidly in rich, moist soils of temperate climates. They [[Hybrid (biology)|hybrid]]ize easily, producing ''L. x sinoamericanum'' cultivars.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

[[Flower]]s are 3–10&nbsp;cm in diameter and have nine [[tepal]]s — three green outer [[sepals]] and six inner [[petals]] which are yellow-green, with an orange flare at the base in ''L. tulipifera'' and ''L. x sinoamericanum''. They start forming after around 15 years and are superficially similar to a [[tulip]] in shape, hence the tree's name. Flowers of ''L. tulipifera'' have a faint [[cucumber]] odor. The [[stamen]]s and [[pistil]]s are arranged spirally around a central spike or [[gynaecium]]; the stamens fall off, and the pistils become the [[Samara (fruit)|samara]]s. The [[fruit]] is a cone-like aggregate of samaras 4–9&nbsp;cm long, each of which has a roughly tetrahedral seed with one edge attached to the central conical spike and the other edge attached to the wing.{{cn|date=June 2024}}
[[File:Tree Types and Barks 003.jpg|thumb|right|190px|Tulip tree bark]]
[[File:Liriodendron tulipifera flower.jpg|thumb|right|190px|Tulip tree flower]]
[[File:TinicumParkTuliptree.jpg|thumb|right|190px|Tuliptrees can be very large. This 130-footer in Pennsylvania with a 5-foot trunk dwarfs a group of mature oaks and maples.]]
===Cytology===
The chromosome count of ''Liriodendron chinense'' is 2n = 38.<ref name = "Flora of China a">''Liriodendron chinense'' in Flora of China @ efloras.org. (n.d.). Retrieved May 31, 2025, from http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200008462</ref>

==Taxonomy==
It was described by [[Carl Linnaeus]] in 1753 with ''Liriodendron tulipifera'' {{au|L.}} as the type species.<ref name = "Linnaeus, 1753">Linné,  Carl von, & Salvius,  Lars. (1753). Caroli Linnaei ... Species plantarum :exhibentes plantas rite cognitas, ad genera relatas, cum differentiis specificis, nominibus trivialibus, synonymis selectis, locis natalibus, secundum systema sexuale digestas... (Vol. 1, p. 535). Impensis Laurentii Salvii. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/358554</ref><ref name = "Tropicos">Missouri Botanical Garden. (n.d.). ''Liriodendron'' L. Tropicos. Retrieved May 31, 2025, from https://www.tropicos.org/name/40007560</ref>
===Species===
[[File:Liriodendron.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''L. tulipifera'' at Hingham Center Cemetery, [[Hingham, Massachusetts]]]]
[[File:Liriodendron tulipifera × chinense (Hybrid of Tulip Tree) (26532119311).jpg|thumb|Bud of [[Liriodendron × sinoamericanum|''Liriodendron'' × ''sinoamericanum'']]]]
*†''[[Liriodendron balticum]]'' {{au|P.I. Dorof.}}<ref name = "IFPNI a">''Liriodendron balticum'' P.I. Dorof. (n.d.). International Fossil Plant Names Index. Retrieved May 31, 2025, from https://www.ifpni.org/species.htm?id=9D607246-B7D7-414E-B276-6A5F7A91F9D8</ref>
* ''[[Liriodendron chinense]]'' {{au|(Hemsl.) Sarg.}}<ref name = "POWO">''Liriodendron'' L. (n.d.). Plants of the World Online. Retrieved May 31, 2025, from https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30197365-2</ref>
* ''[[Liriodendron tulipifera]]'' {{au|L.}}<ref name = "POWO" />
*[[Liriodendron × sinoamericanum|''Liriodendron'' × ''sinoamericanum'']] {{au|P.C.Yieh ex C.B.Shang & Zhang R.Wang}} – an artificial hybrid of ''L. chinense'' and ''L. tulipifera''<ref name = "Shang & Wang, 2012">SHANG, C., & WANG, Z. (2012). A new scientific name of hybrid ''Liriodendron'' — ''L. sino-americanum''. JOURNAL OF NANJING FORESTRY UNIVERSITY, 36(02), 1.</ref>
===Etymology===
The generic name ''Liriodendron'' is derived from from ''lirio-'' meaning ''lily'' and ''-dendron'' meaning ''tree''.<ref name = "Wagner-Reiss, 2017">Wagner-Reiss, K. (2017, June 21). What’s in a Plant Name: ''Liriodendron tulipifera'' L. - Plant Talk. Plant Talk. Retrieved May 31, 2025, from https://www.nybg.org/blogs/plant-talk/2017/06/horticulture-2/whats-in-a-plant-name-liriodendron-tulipifera-l/</ref>

== Distribution ==
''Liriodendron'' trees are also easily recognized by their general shape, with the higher branches sweeping together in one direction, and they are also recognizable by their height, as the taller ones usually protrude above the canopy of oaks, maples, and other trees—more markedly with the American species. [[Cove (Appalachian Mountains)#Cove forest|Appalachian cove forest]]s often contain several tulip trees of height and girth not seen in other species of eastern hardwoods.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

In the Appalachian cove forests, trees 150 to 165&nbsp;ft in height are common, and trees from 166 to nearly 180&nbsp;ft are also found. More ''Liriodendron'' over 170&nbsp;ft in height have been measured by the Eastern Native Tree Society than for any other eastern species. The current tallest tulip tree on record has reached 191.9&nbsp;ft, the tallest native [[angiosperm]] tree known in North America.<ref name="Native Tree Society BBS" >{{cite web| url= http://www.ents-bbs.org/viewtopic.php?f=256&t=2423| title = Fork Ridge Tuliptree- new eastern height record!!!| publisher= Eastern Native Tree Society, Will Blozan|access-date= Apr 29, 2011}}</ref> The tulip tree is rivaled in eastern forests only by [[Eastern White Pine|white pine]], [[loblolly pine]], and [[eastern hemlock]]. Reports of tulip trees over 200&nbsp;ft have been made, but none of the measurements has been confirmed by the Eastern Native Tree Society. Most reflect measurement errors attributable to not accurately locating the highest crown point relative to the base of the tree—a common error made by the users employing only [[clinometer]]s/[[hypsometer]]s when measuring height.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

Maximum circumferences for the species are between 24 and 30&nbsp;ft at breast height, although a few historical specimens may have been slightly larger. The [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]] has the greatest population of tulip trees 20&nbsp;ft and over in circumference. The largest-volume tulip tree known anywhere is the Sag Branch Giant, which has a trunk and limb volume approaching {{convert|4000|ft3|m3|abbr=on}}.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

==Paleo history==
Liriodendrons have been reported as fossils from the [[Late Cretaceous]] and early [[Tertiary]] of North America and central Asia. They are known widely as Tertiary-age [[fossil]]s in Europe and well outside their present range in Asia and North America, showing a once-[[wikt:circumpolar|circumpolar]] northern distribution. Like many [[Arcto-Tertiary Geoflora|"Arcto-Tertiary"]] genera, ''Liriodendron'' apparently became extinct in Europe due to the east-west orientation of its mountains that blocked southward migration during the large-scale [[glaciation]] and aridity of climate during glacial phases.<ref name="Nature-Plants-2019">{{cite journal |display-authors=etal |last1=Chen |first1=Jinhui |title=Liriodendron genome sheds light on angiosperm phylogeny and species–pair differentiation |journal=Nature Plants |date=January 2019 |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=18–25 |doi=10.1038/s41477-018-0323-6 |bibcode=2019NatPl...5...18C |url=http://evolution.ac.cn/PDF/Chen%20J%20et%20al-2019.pdf}}</ref>

The genus name should not be confused with an extinct genus known only through fossils. That is ''[[Lepidodendron]],'' which entails an important group of long-extinct [[pteridophyte]]s in the phylum [[Lycopodiophyta]] that are well known [[Paleozoic]] [[Carboniferous|coal-age]] fossils).{{cn|date=June 2024}}

[[File:Geology (1907) (14753394636).jpg|thumb|''[[Liriodendron giganteum]]'' (a), an extinct [[Late Cretaceous]] species.]]

==Cultivation and use==
[[File:Liriodendron tulipifera at Vancouver BC 10th Ave at Dunbar in spring.jpg|thumb|Tulip trees serving an ornamental role in [[Vancouver]].]]

''Liriodendron'' trees prefer a [[temperate]] climate, sun or part shade, and deep, [[fertility (soil)|fertile]], well-drained and slightly [[acidic]] [[soil]]. Propagation is by seed or [[grafting]]. Plants grown from seed may take more than eight years to flower. Grafted plants flower depending on the age of the [[grafting|scion]] plant.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

The wood of the North American species (called poplar or [[tulipwood]]) is fine grained and stable. It is easy to work and commonly used for cabinet and furniture framing, i.e. internal structural members and subsurfaces for [[Wood veneer|veneering]]. Additionally, much inexpensive furniture, described for sales purposes simply as "hardwood", is in fact primarily stained poplar. In the literature of American furniture manufacturers from the first half of the 20th century, it is often referred to as "gum wood". The wood is only moderately rot-resistant and is not commonly used in shipbuilding, but has found some recent use in light-craft construction. The wood is readily available, and when air dried, has a density around {{convert|24|lb/cuft|g/cm3|abbr=on}}.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

The name canoewood probably refers to the tree's use for construction of [[dugout canoe]]s by eastern Native Americans, for which its fine grain and large trunk size is eminently suited.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

Tulip tree leaves are eaten by the [[caterpillar]]s of some [[Lepidoptera]], for example the [[eastern tiger swallowtail]] (''Papilio glaucus'').{{cn|date=June 2024}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Liriodendron}}
* Hunt, D. (ed). 1998. ''Magnolias and their allies''. International Dendrology Society & Magnolia Society. ({{ISBN|0-9517234-8-0}})
* Parks, C.R., Wendel, J.F., Sewell, M.M., & Qiu, Y.-L. (1994). The significance of allozyme variation and introgression in the Liriodendron tulipifera complex (Magnoliaceae). ''Am. J. Bot.'' 81 (7): 878-889 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/2445769 abstract and first page]
* Parks, C.R., Miller, N.G., Wendel, J.F. and McDougal, K.M. (1983). Genetic diversity within the genus Liriodendron (Magnoliaceae). ''Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden'' 70 (4): 658-666 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/2398983 abstract and first page]
* Collingwood, G.H., Brush, W.D. (1984) ''Knowing your trees''. American Forestry Association. (L.O.C. card no. 78–52994):286-287
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041205144540/http://www.floridata.com/tracks/trees/TulipPoplarCentFla.htm Moriaty, William. The Tulip Tree in Central Florida]
* [http://www.asianflora.com/Magnoliaceae/Liriodendron-chinense.htm ''Liriodendron chinense'']
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060209110805/http://www.losn.com.cn/hjbh/plant/magnoliaceae/1-67.htm ''Liriodendron chinense'' trunk and flowers]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060417083017/http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/plants/trees/tuliptree.html Kew: Plants: Tulip Trees, Liriodendron tulipifera & Liriodendron chinense]
* [http://www.fna.org/china/mss/volume07/Magnoliaceae-CAS_coauthoring.htm ''Flora of China'' draft account of Magnoliaceae] (site currently down; see [https://web.archive.org/web/20070505104021/http://www.fna.org/china/mss/volume07/Magnoliaceae-CAS_coauthoring.htm google cache])
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060910174744/http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/frame/litu.htm ''Liriodendron tulipifera'' images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu]
* ''Botanicas Trees & Shrubs'', Random House, Sydney, 2005
* [http://hazardkentucky.com/more/tuliptree.htm World's Largest Tulip Tree In Perry County, KY]

{{Taxonbar|from=Q157236}}

[[Category:Magnoliaceae]]
[[Category:Magnoliales genera]]
[[Category:Symbols of Indiana]]