The trunk is usually very straight and tall and has a diameter of 4 to6 feet. The crown is usually rounded-oval in mature trees. The margins of lobes are entire. The slender petioles are 2 to 4 inches long with large, prominent, leaf-like stipules in spring, which fall away when the leaves reach full size, leaving a distinctive line circling the winter twig at each leaf scar. Flowers appear in spring after the leaves have emerged, as large, tulip-shaped, solitary blooms at the ends of the branchlets.
Seeds are wind-dispersed.
The bark is smooth and thin on young trees, becoming thick, rough and irregularly furrowed with rounded ridges and ashy-gray. This tree is very intolerant of shade and grows best in full sun on moist, well-drained, loamy soil, although it will tolerate heavier clay soils. Liriodendrons are generally free of pests and diseases, but are susceptible to aphid attack and the associated sooty-mold. The wood of the tulip poplar makes it a commercially important hardwood species. The heartwood is light greenish-yellow to dark brown, lightweight and relatively soft, making it easy to work.