6 Farmers’ Bulletin 1222. 
and broad, truncate or broadly notched at the apex, with two apical 
and from two to four basal lobes. The flowers (see title page) are 
large and erect, with greenish-yellow petals, and are orange-colored 
within, their resemblance to the flowers of the cultivated tulip giving 
the tree its common name, Few flowers are more beautiful, but 
usually they are so high on the branches of tall forest trees that not 
many persons are familiar with them. The flowers open about three 
weeks after the average date of the last killing frost in the spring 
and the blooming period seldom exceeds two weeks. As the flowers 
wither the petals are gradually reflexed and the flower somewhat 
loses its resemblance to the tulip. The fruit is a cone about 3 inches 
long, somewhat resembling a cucumber, hence the common name 
“cucumber-tree.” The trees are badly injured by fires, even when 
mature. 
The tulip-tree has been extensively lumbered wherever it is abun- 
dant, and this has doubtless worked a hardship to beekeeping in 
these regions; but young trees are constantly coming on where con- 
ditions are favorable and the region is not permanently injured for 
beekeeping. Trees begin blossoming when about 15 years old. 
The tulip-tree is exacting in its soil and moisture requirements, 
although it is found under a variety of conditions. The best con- 
ditions for growth are a deep, fertile soil, well drained but with con- 
stant soil moisture. The tree thrives on moist loam and on rich 
sandy soils with abundant humus. It does poorly on heavy clay, on 
dry ridges, or in standing water. It is rare in river swamps, on the 
serpentine barrens, in lowland forests, in meadows with compact 
soil, and on hill and mountain tops. On Parrs Ridge, near Westmin- 
ster, Md., it is scarce, although on near-by hills it constitutes 20 per 
cent of the forest stand, the rock on Parrs Ridge being igneous with 
some limestone. The tree is at its best on slopes and in protected 
coves along water courses and usually on the north and east ex- 
posures. It rarely grows in solid stands, but is usually in associa- 
tion with chestnut, oaks, walnuts, hickory, maples, and beech, and 
sometimes, but infrequently, with pines. In Maryland, the area with 
which the writers are most familiar, it is found from almost sea level 
to the mountain slopes of the western part of the State, but it is not 
found in the mountains in the western part of the State in locations 
similar to those farther east where it is abundant. Climatic condi- 
tions are probably important in its distribution, for it seems to thrive 
only in those locations where the average length of the annual grow- 
ing season is over 150 days. Its distribution has been greatly modi- 
fied by agricultural operations in the regions where agriculture is 
prosperous, for in some Maryland counties little more than 10 per 
cent of the land is in forest. 
