DENDROLOGY. 203 



wet, as in the swamps which border the rivers. This tree attains 

 the greatest dimensions in a deep, loamy, and extremely fertile 

 soil, such as is found in the rich bottoms which lie alone: the 

 rivers, and on the borders of the great swamps that are inclosed 

 in the forests. 



In the Atlantic States, especially at a considerable distance 

 from the sea, tulip trees are often seen 70, 80 and 100 feet in 

 height, with a diameter of 18 inches to 3 feet. But the Western 

 States appear to be the natural soil of this magnificent tree, and 

 here it displays its most powerful vegetation. M. Michaux 

 mentions a tulip tree, near Louisville, on the Ohio, which at five 

 feet from the ground was 22 feet six inches in circumference, 

 and whose elevation he judged to be from 120 to 140 feet. Of 

 all the trees of North America with deciduous leaves, the tulip 

 tree, next to the button wood, attains the amplest dimensions ; 

 while the perfect straightness and uniform diameter of the trunk 

 for upwards of 40 feet, the more regular disposition of its 

 branches, and the greater richness of its foliage, give it a decided 

 superiority over the button wood, and entitle iuto be considered 

 as one of the most magnificent vegetables of the temperate zones. 

 In the spring, when the weather is warm and humid, the growth 

 of the leaves is very rapid : they are six or eight inches broad, 

 borne on long petioles, alternate, somewhat fleshy, smooth and 

 of a pleasing green color. They are divided into three lobes, of 

 which the middle one is horizontally notched at the summit, and 

 the two lower ones are rounded at the base. The flowers bloom 

 in June or July. They are large, brilliant, and on detached 

 trees very numerous, variegated with different colors, among 

 which yellow predominates : they have an agreeable odor, and, 

 surrounded by luxuriant foliage, they produce a fine effect. 

 The fruit is composed of a great number of thin, narrow scales, 

 attached to a common axis, and forming a cone two or three 

 inches in length. Each cone consists of sixty or seventy seeds, 

 of which never more than a third part are productive. For ten 

 years before the tree begins to yield fruit, almost all the seeds are 

 unproductive, and on large trees, those from the highest branches 

 are the best. 



