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Common Name: Chinese tulip tree
Type: Tree
Family: Magnoliaceae
Zone: 6 to 9
Native Range: Central China, Indochina
Height: 50 to 70 feet
Spread: 30 to 40 feet
Bloom Time: May to June
Bloom Color: Green, Yellow
Bloom Description: Olive green with yellow at base
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Flowers: Showy Flowers
Leaves: Good Fall Color
Tolerates: Deer
Uses: Shade Tree
Culture
Best grown in moist, organically rich, well-drained loams in full sun. Tolerates part shade. May not be reliably winter hardy in the northern parts of USDA Zone 6.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Chinese tulip tree is a fast-growing, columnar tree that typically grows to 50-70’ tall. It is named for its cup-shaped, tulip-like flowers (same family as magnolias) that bloom in late spring to early summer. This tree is very similar to Liriodendron tulipifera (native to eastern North America), except it is denser, slightly smaller, has smaller flowers without orange banding, has more deeply lobed leaves and is not as cold hardy. Cup-shaped flowers (to 1.5” long) are olive green with yellow at the base. Flowers begin blooming in May. Flowers can go unnoticed on large trees because the flowers appear after the leaves are fully developed. Sometimes the flowers are first noticed when the attractive petals begin to fall to the ground. Flowers are followed by dry, scaly, oblong, cone-shaped, brown fruit clusters, each bearing numerous winged seeds. Clusters disintegrate when ripe. Lobed bright green leaves turn golden yellow in fall. Genus name comes from Greek leirion (lily) and dendron (tree).
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Watch for aphids, leaf miners, scale, mealbugs and borers. Potential diseases include verticillium wilt, mold, powdery mildew and canker. Large aphid infestations result in honeydew secretions on the leaves that provide the growing medium for sooty mold. Trees are fast-growing and somewhat weak wooded, making them susceptible to limb breakage in high winds or from ice/snow. Shallow root system limits the types of plants that may be grown within the drip line.
Garden Uses
Large shade or lawn tree for large landscapes. Generally not recommended as a street tree.