Tulip Tree (liriodendron Tulipifera)
Distinguishing characters: There are four characters that stand out
conspicuously in the tulip tree--the *bud*, the *trunk*, the
persistent *fruit cups* and the wedged *leaf*.
The bud, Fig. 74, about three-quarters of an inch long, is covered
by two purplish scales which lend special significance to its whole
appearance. The trunk is extremely individual because it rises stout
and shaft-like, away above the ground without a branch as shown in
Fig. 73. The tree flowers in the latter part of May but the cup that
holds the fruit persists throughout the winter. The leaf, Fig. 75,
has four lobes, is nearly as broad as it is long and so notched at
the upper end that it looks different from any other leaf.
Form and size: The tulip tree is one of the largest, stateliest and
tallest of our trees.
Range: Eastern United States.
Soil and location: Requires a deep, moist soil.
Enemies: Comparatively free from insects and disease.
Value for planting: The tree has great value as a specimen on the lawn
but is undesirable as a street tree because it requires considerable
moisture and transplants with difficulty. It should be planted while
young and where it can obtain plenty of light. It grows rapidly.
Commercial value: The wood is commercially known as _whitewood_ and
_yellow poplar_. It is light, soft, not strong and easily worked. It
is used in construction, for interior finish of houses, woodenware
and shingles. It has a medicinal value.
Other characters: The _flower_, shown in Fig. 75, is greenish yellow in
color, appears in May and resembles a tulip; hence the name tulip
tree. The _fruit_ is a cone.
Other common names: _Whitewood_; _yellow poplar_; _poplar_ and _tulip
poplar_.
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Tree Studies
How To Identify Trees
Group I The Pines
The White Pine (pinus Strobus)
The Pitch Pine (pinus Rigida)
The Scotch Pine (pinus Sylvestris)
Group Ii The Spruce And Hemlock
The Norway Spruce (picea Excelsa)
Hemlock (tsuga Canadensis)
Group Iii The Red Cedar And Arbor-vitae
Red Cedar (juniperus Virginiana)
Arbor-vitae; Northern White Cedar (thuja Occidentalis)
Group Iv The Larch And Cypress
The European Larch (larix Europaea)
Bald Cypress (taxodium Distichum)
Group V The Horsechestnut, Ash And Maple
The Horsechestnut
The White Ash (fraxinus Americana)
Sugar Maple (acer Saccharum)
Silver Maple (acer Saccharinum)
Red Maple (acer Rubrum)
Norway Maple (acer Platanoides)
Box Elder (acer Negundo)
Group Vi Trees Told By Their Form: Elm, Poplar, Gingko And Willow
American Elm (ulmus Americana)
Lombardy Or Italian Poplar (populus Nigra, Var Italica)
Gingko Or Maidenhair Tree (gingko Biloba)
Weeping Willow (salix Babylonica)
Group Vii Trees Told By Their Bark Or Trunk: Sycamore, Birch, Beech,
Blue Beech, Ironwood, And Hackberry
The Sycamore Or Plane Tree (platanus Occidentalis)
Gray Or White Birch (betula Populifolia)
American Beech (fagus Americana)
Blue Beech Or Hornbeam (carpinus Caroliniana)
Hackberry (celtis Occidentalis)
Group Viii The Oaks And Chestnut
White Oak (quercus Alba)
Black Oak (quercus Velutina)
Red Oak (quercus Rubra)
Pin Oak (quercus Palustris)
Chestnut (castanea Dentata)
Group Ix The Hickories, Walnut And Butternut
Shagbark Hickory (hicoria Ovata)
Mockernut Hickory (hicoria Alba)
Black Walnut (juglans Nigra)
Group X Tulip Tree, Sweet Gum, Linden, Magnolia, Locust, Catalpa,
Dogwood, Mulberry And Osage Orange
Tulip Tree (liriodendron Tulipifera)
Sweet Gum (liquidambar Styraciflua)
American Linden (tilia Americana)
The Magnolias
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Informational