Liriodendron tulipifera
Tulip tree

- Family: Magnoliáceas
- Origen: It is native to southern Ontario, Canada, and the eastern United States, from Michigan to Louisiana and northern Florida

A deciduous tree that reaches 30-40m in height in favourable conditions, with a dense crown, dark green in colour, turning yellowish in autumn. Initially more or less pyramidal, and later wide and extended. The trunk is straight and cylindrical, with the bark initially smooth and greenish, turning dark brown and cracked vertically over the years. Ovoid buds, 12-14 mm long, initially greenish, turning reddish brown later on.

Simple, alternate leaves, broadly ovate to orbicular, 6-15cm, complete or often with 4-6 lobes, with a wedge-shaped or rounded base and an unmistakable characteristic emarginate or truncated apex. The texture is grassy, glabrous and bright green in colour on the midline and a paler green colour with some hairs on the veins on the underside. The petiole is glabrous, 5-15cm long. Stipules are 2-4cm long, deciduous or persistent.

The flowers appear after the leaves, terminal, solitary, bisexual, pedicellate, tulip-shaped, 5-10cm in diameter, with a calyx of 3 reflexed sepals, lanceolate or ovoid, 3.5-6mm long, whitish or yellowish green. The apex is rounded, drooping, and the bell-shaped corolla has six elliptical or ovoid petals 4-6 x 1.8-3cm, ascending, whitish or greenish yellow, with an orange stripe at the base and an obtuse or rounded apex. Androecium with 20-50 inserted stamens, with 1-2.5cm filaments and thick anther. Gynecosis with superior ovary and numerous carpels.

Fruit formed by the fusion of numerous samaras (infructescence), cone-shaped, some 6-8cm long, dark brown in colour and taking 1 year to ripen. Each small fruit has a pair of seeds, most often infertile.

Source: arbolesornamentales.es