Tulip poplar bloom from underneath; photo by mwms1916 on Flickr (noncommercial use permitted with attribution / no derivative works).
Official State Tree of Indiana
The tulip poplar (Liriodendron Tulipifera) was designated the official state tree of Indiana in 1931 (Tennessee and Kentucky also recognize tulip poplar as their official tree symbol). All State Trees
The tulip poplar is not actually a poplar tree, but a member of the magnolia family. The tulip poplar leaf has a unique, distinct shape (it appears in the border of the Indiana state seal), and produces huge, bell-shaped greenish-yellow with orange flowers in the spring.
Also called yellow poplar, tulip tree, or canoe tree (because Native Americans used it to make dugout canoes), tulip poplars can be found throughout the state of Indiana.
