306 SYLVA AMERICANA. 



diameter, and its straight, uniform trunk, crowned with an ample 

 and tufted summit, forms a beautiful tree. In newly-cleared 

 lands the remains of these trees are distinguished by the numerous 

 sprouts which cover the stumps, and the large roots, whose 

 growth can be prevented only by stripping off the bark or by the 

 operation of fire. The leaves of this tree are alternate, large, 

 nearly round, finely denticulated, heart-shaped at the base, and 

 abruptly terminated in a point at the summit. The flowers put 

 forth in the month of June, and are borne by long peduncles, 

 are pendulous, subdivided at the extremity, and garnished with a 

 long, narrow, floral leaf. The seeds, which are ripe about the 

 first of October, are round and of a gray color. 



The trunk is covered with a very thin bark; the cellular 

 integument, separated from the epidermis and macerated in 

 water, is formed into ropes' ; in Europe they are used for well 

 cords. The wood" of this tree is white and tender : in the 

 Northern States, where the tulip tree does not grow, it is used 

 for the panels of carriage bodies, and the seats of chairs; but as 

 it is softer and splits more easily, it is less proper for these 

 objects. On the Ohio the images affixed to the prow of vessels 

 are made of this wood instead of the white pine. The flowers 

 of this tree are probably endowed with the same antispasmodic 

 and cephalic properties which are -ascribed to those of the 

 European species. 



