Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon:
- Deciduous tree, 70-90(150) ft, [21-27(46) m], strong central leader, narrow ovoid. Winter buds are valve-like, resembling a duck's bill, to about 13 mm. Leaves alternate, simple, 7.5-20 cm across, broad truncate apex, bright green above; foliage only yellow, brown in fall. Tulip-like flowers in spring, greenish-yellow petals, orangish interior. Fruit cone-like, 6-8 cm long, green then brown, ripening in fall, containing numerous 1-2 seeded winged carpels, 2.5-3.5 cm long.
- Sun. pH adaptable but prefers a slightly acid soil. Aphids are a serious problem, in some areas the copious, sugary honeydew produced by the aphids results in a sooty mold on the upper suface of leaves.
- Hardy to USDA Zone 4 Native range from Massachusetts west to Wisconsin and south to Florida and Mississippi. This is the state tree of Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana
Several cultivars are somewhat available:
- ‘Aureo-marginatum’ (‘Aureomarginatum’) - variegated, leaved gold-edged at frist then greenish-yellow, green center. Monrovia Nursery offers it as Majestic Beauty®
- ‘Contortum’ (‘Crispum’) - leaves contorted and margins undulated.
- ‘Fatigiatum’ (‘Arnold’) - narrow tree, upright branches; 25 ft tall and 8 ft wide in 10 years.
- ‘Medio-pictum’ (‘Mediopictum’, ‘Aureopictum’) - variegated, leaves green except for a yellow blotch in the center
- Liriodendron: from Greek, leiron, lily, and dendron, tree tulipifera: tulip-bearing
- Corvallis: large tree in front of City Hall on Madison Ave; two trees in Central Park, the one on the north side is the tallest tree in the park.
- Oregon State Univ. campus: in front of the Women's Building, south side.
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