Yellow or Tulip Poplar

 

It's not often that I see a limb low enough on a poplar tree to get a good look at the flowers, but I found one in Auburn a few weeks ago that just begged to be examined. Poplar trees grow so tall and fast that the flowers usually outdistance my eyes. Yellow or tulip poplar is the tallest hardwood in North America. The flowers have a superficial resemblance to tulips, hence the species name. If you click on the picture you can get a pretty good magnification. Poplars are among the first trees to leaf out in the spring and usually the first to start turning yellow in the fall. They typically begin turning in late August here in east central Alabama. The tiny brown cones found on the ground in fall resemble magnolias, a clue to their heritage. I have often tried to collect enough of these cones to make something with or decorate a wreath, but they are frequently few and always fragile. The tall straight and tapered bole of the poplar,the beautiful flowers, and the splendid leaf shapes make this a wonderful tree, but it has a scientific name that is equally beautiful: Liriodendron tulipifera.
The wood of this tree is today used in the manufacture of furniture and pallets. I have a chest made for me by my Dad from wood cut from his farm. The planks are eleven inches wide. Poplars grown in the swamps reach an impressive size quickly. Native Americans used them to make dugout canoes.