10/5/2011
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — As the wooded West Virginia hills begin to show their autumn hues, look for a brilliant splash of yellow. That’s the signature fall color of the native yellow poplar, also known as the tulip tree or tulip poplar.
Yellow poplars grow fast, tall and with a symmetrical shape. They rank among the tallest hardwoods, reaching 100 to 165 feet in height. The narrow crown spreads as the tree matures, providing summer shade. In spring, adult tulip poplars display tulip-shaped flowers. The yellow-green flowers, measuring three to five inches in length, produce a light fragrance.
Their quick, straight growth makes poplars a popular choice for timbering and for landscaping in areas that allow for their height. Yellow poplar is often used in furniture, fixtures and musical instruments.
Yellow poplars prefer deep, rich, well-drained but moist soils. One of the largest yellow poplars currently on record in West Virginia is near Inwood in Berkeley County. The tree is 107 feet tall and measures 236 inches in circumference at breast height. It is featured on the West Virginia Big Tree Register. To learn about it and other big trees, visit
www.wvcommerce.org/BigTrees.
Yellow poplar seedlings are available from Clements State Tree Nursery, the only state-operated forest tree nursery in West Virginia. The poplar seedlings currently come from seed produced in the nursery’s seed orchard. Trees with characteristics for exceptional timber production were grafted onto rootstock and planted in the Clements orchard in the 1970s. They were later crossed with each other to produce genetically improved seed. Seedlings grown from orchard seed exhibit faster growth and higher quality timber than those produced from seed collected in the wild.
Clements sells bare root yellow poplars starting at $25 per bundle. Each bundle contains 25 seedlings.
For a complete catalog of seedlings for sale at Clements State Tree Nursery, visit
www.wvcommerce.org/resources/forestry/treenursery.aspx or call the nursery at 304-675-1820.
For more information about the Division of Forestry, visit
www.wvforestry.com.
Contact Information
Leslie Fitzwater, Public Information Specialist
304-957-9342 or 304-541-8102
Leslie.C.Fitzwater@wv.gov