tulip tree

noun

1. Also called tulip poplar,. a tall tree, Liriodendron tulipifera, of the magnolia family, native to the eastern U.S., having large, cup-shaped, green and orange flowers: the state tree of Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
2. African tulip tree.

tulip tree

noun

1. Also calledtulip poplaryellow poplar a North American magnoliaceous forest tree, Liriodendron tulipifera , having tulip-shaped greenish-yellow flowers and long conelike fruits
2. a similar and related Chinese tree, L. chinense
3. any of various other trees with tulip-shaped flowers, such as the magnolia

Word History and Origins

Origin of tulip tree¹

An Americanism dating back to 1695–1705

Example Sentences

Before I rode off, I dug up some roots of the tulip-tree and chewed them, swallowing the juice, till I reached camp.

From Project Gutenberg

The tulip-tree grows best in warm loam in which there is a mixture of sand and vegetable mould superposed on clay and gravel.

From Project Gutenberg

The association of the bird with the flower goes further than color, too; for the tulip-tree is a favorite haunt of the orioles.

From Project Gutenberg

In one way the tulip-tree is closely connected with the most picturesque and interesting period of American development.

From Project Gutenberg

A rock jutting over the flood formed a convenient seat, and a tulip-tree lent a grateful shade.

From Project Gutenberg