Side by side
Tulip tree or magnolia? How to tell them apart
Liriodendron tulipifera · Magnolia
How to tell them apart – tulip tree: leaves with a cut-off tip and flowers in June; magnolia: shrub or small tree with large, tulip-shaped flowers on bare branches in April.
How do you recognise them?
- Tulip tree
- Unique four-lobed leaf with a cut-off tip, like a T-shirt.
- Compared with magnolia: leaves with a cut-off tip and flowers in June.
- Magnolia
- Shrub or small tree with large, tulip-shaped flowers on bare branches in April.
| Tulip tree | Magnolia | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, 10–20 cm, with 4 (sometimes 6) lobes and a squarely cut-off or notched tip. Long leaf stalk. Autumn colour golden yellow. | Alternate, large (10–20 cm), obovate and untoothed. |
| Flowering | Tulip-shaped, greenish-yellow flowers with an orange band, in June, often high in the crown (June). | Large white, pink or purple tulip- or star-shaped flowers, March–April, before the leaves (March–May). |
| Fruit | Upright, cone-shaped fruits made up of winged nutlets. | Cone-like fruits with red seeds. |
| Bark | Grey, with a regular network of shallow furrows. | Smooth and grey. |
| Shape and height | Broadleaf tree, 25–40 m | Shrub, 4–8 m |
| Site | Full sun, any garden soil, normal | Sun or partial shade, acid soil, normal |
| Native to Belgium | No, planted | No, planted |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for bees | Little |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | November–March | May–July |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Tulip tree grows 25–40 m tall: too big for an ordinary garden, but fine in a large garden, a park or a meadow.
Read on
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.