The Tulip poplar tree actually is not a poplar at all but is a member of the magnolia family. The tulip poplar leaves are tulip-shaped and simple. The yellow poplar leaf is smooth on both surfaces, dark green and lustrous above, and often pale with a slight whitish bloom beneath. This beautiful tree is covered in light, greenish-yellow tulip shaped flowers with an orange band from April to June in the summer months. The tulip poplar flower puts on a gorgeous display during the spring and summer blooming season. It is a prolific seed bearer, but it has low percent germination. The cone shaped fruit clusters usually persist on branches with weak wood.