Liriodendron tulipifera
Scientific Name: Liriodendron tulipifera
Common Name: Tuliptree
Global Conservation Status: G5 - Secure
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Tuliptree, often called tulip poplar in the south, towers straight and majestic in forests of the eastern U.S. Its distinctive leaves and large spring flowers are easy to recognize. Fast growing, it is valued for timber ("yellow poplar") and nectar for bees and hummingbirds. Yellow-bellied sapsuckers drill strings of holes in the bark to tap its sap (and consume insects trapped in the sap).
Since it requires sun to germinate and thrive, tuliptree is a good pioneer species on cleared land.