A genus of large and very beautiful trees of North America, having smooth, shining leaves, and handsome, tuliplike flowers; tulip tree; whitewood; -- called also canoewood. Liriodendron tulipifera is the only extant species, but there were several others in the Cretaceous epoch.

tulip trees

Liriodendron is a genus in the magnolia family (Magnoliaceae) consisting of two species of large deciduous trees. Liriodendron tulipifera is native to eastern North America; Liriodendron chinense occurs in China and Vietnam. The standard English name is variously given as two words (tulip tree, the most common form in popular usage), hyphenated (tulip-tree), or compound (tuliptree, the most common form in botanical usage).