Liriodendron chinense , commonly called Chinese tulip tree, is a fast-growing, columnar tree in the magnolia family that typically grows to 50-70’ tall. Once the tree matures, it will produce tulip-like flowers in late spring. This tree is sometime confused with its cousin, Liriodendron tulipifera, but is denser with smaller flowers and three-lobed leaves. L. tulipifera is a US native and more cold hardy. Chinese Tulip Tree is best grown in moist, organically rich, well-drained loamy soil in full sun. However, it will tolerate part shade. It prefers acidic or neutral soils and the site should be lime free. The tree may not be reliably winter hardy in the northern parts of USDA Zone 6. The Chinese Tulip Tree is useful as a arge shade or lawn tree for large landscapes and is sometimes grown as an ornamental. It is generally not recommended as a street tree. These trees are fast-growing and the wood can be weak, leading to breakage. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: Susceptible to honey fungus. Aphids, leaf miners, scale, mealybugs, and borers can sometimes be problems.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt)
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
24-60 feet
NC region
Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 50 ft. 0 in. - 70 ft. 0 in. | Width: 30 ft. 0 in. - 40 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Columnar; Dense; Pyramidal; Rounded
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf margin
Lobed
Leaf value
Showy
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Deeply lobed bright green leaves turn golden yellow in fall.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow
Flower color
Green
Flower shape
Cup
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Cup-shaped flowers (to 1.5” long) are olive green with yellow at the base. Flowers begin blooming in May.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit detail
Dry, scaly, oblong, cone-shaped, brown fruit clusters, each bearing numerous winged seeds, that disintegrate when ripe.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Central and Southern China to Viet Nam.
Distribution
Grown in Britain, Ireland, Germany, and Canada.
Wildlife value
This is a larval host plant for Viceroy (Limenitis archippus) caterpillars which have two to three broods from May-September. The adult butterflies feed on decaying matter, aphid honeydew, and nectar from composite flowers.
Attracts
Butterflies; Pollinators
Host plant for
Viceroy (Limenitis archippus) caterpillars which have two to three broods from May-September
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Lawn
Landscape theme
Butterfly Garden; Pollinator Garden
Design feature
Shade Tree; Specimen
Garden tags
#deciduous #viceroy butterflies #butterfly friendly #larval host plant #pollinator plant #wildlife friendly #flowering tree #spring flowers #fall color yellow #fall color #upright form #vigorous #bushy