295 Avon Rd.
Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera)
Liriodendron tulipifera, known as the tulip poplar, tulip tree, American tulip tree, tulipwood, tuliptree, whitewood, fiddletree, and yellow-poplar — is the North American representative of two-species genus Liriodendron (the other member being Liriodendron chinense), and the tallest eastern hardwood. It is native to eastern North America from Southern Ontario and possibly southern Quebec to Illinois eastward to southwestern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and south to central Florida and Louisiana. It is fast-growing, without the common problems of weak wood strength and short lifespan often seen in fast-growing species. Its bright green leaves resemble tulip flowers and turn golden yellow in fall. In early spring, its blooms are pale green or yellow (rarely white) with a splash of orange at the base, yielding large quantities of nectar. Its stems are aromatic. The tulip poplar is the state tree of Tennessee, as well as Indiana and Kentucky. George Washington planted tulip poplars at Mount Vernon which are now 140-feet tall, and Daniel Boone used the wood of the tulip poplar for his 60-foot dugout canoe.