Liriodendron
LIRIODENDRON TULIPIFERA.--Tulip Tree. North America, 1688. One of the
noblest hardy exotic trees in cultivation. The large, four-lobed,
truncate leaves, of a soft and pleasing green, are highly ornamental,
and are alone sufficient to establish the identity of the tree. Flowers
large, yellow, and sweet-scented, and usually freely produced when the
tree has attained to a height of between 20 feet and 30 feet. When we
con
ider the undoubted hardihood of the tree and indifference to soil,
its noble aspect, handsome foliage that is so distinct from that of any
other tree, and showy flowers, we feel justified in placing it in the
very first rank of ornamental trees. L. tulipifera integrifolia has
entire leaves, which render it distinct from the type; L. tulipifera
fastigiata, or pyramidalis, is of erect growth; L. tulipifera aurea,
with golden foliage; and L. tulipifera crispa, with the leaves curiously
undulated--a peculiarity which seems constant, but is more curious than
beautiful. Few soils come amiss to the Tulip Tree, it thriving well in
that of very opposite descriptions--loam, almost pure gravel, and
alluvial deposit.