Latin name - Liriodendron tulipifera

Also known as: American yellow poplar (UK), American whitewood, tulip tree (UK and USA), canary wood (UK), canary whitewood (UK)

Wood type – Hardwood

Introduction Note: the recommended name for this timber in the UK is American yellow poplar. There are other, unrelated species which are also called tulipwood.

Distribution - Eastern USA and Canada.

The Tree - A large tree attaining a height of 37m or more, and a diameter of 2m or more.

The Timber - The sapwood is white, and in second-growth trees, very wide; the heartwood is variable in colour, ranging from olive green to yellow or brown, and may be streaked with steel-blue. The annual growth terminates in a white band of parenchyma giving a subdued figure to longitudinal surfaces. The wood is' straight-grained. fine-textured, fairly soft and light in weight.