The George Washington Tulip Poplar was planted in 1785 by the nation’s first president at Mount Vernon, his Virginia home overlooking the Potomac River. Washington was an avid tree planter, and he often experimented with different combinations of trees and plants to improve their quality. Reaching heights up to 200 feet, the straight-growing tulip poplar was commonly used by Native Americans to make dugout canoes. Today, a heart stimulant, hydrochlorate of tulipiferine, is extracted from this tree’s inner bark.