THE TULIP-TKEE. 



THE Tulip-tree is pronounced by Dr. Bigelow " one of 

 the noblest trees, both in size and beauty, of the Ameri- 

 can forest." It certainly displays the character of im- 

 mensity, a quality not necessarily allied with those 

 features we most admire in landscape. It is not very 

 unlike the Canada poplar, and is designated by the name 

 of White Poplar in the Western States. The foliage 

 of this tree has been greatly extolled, but it has the 

 heaviness which is apparent in the foliage of the large- 

 leaved poplars, without its tremulous habit. The leaves, 

 somewhat palmate in their shape, are divided into four 

 pointed lobes, the middle rib ending abruptly, as if the 

 fifth lobe had been cut off. The flowers, which are beauti- 

 ful, but not showy, are striped with green, yellow, and 

 orange. They do not resemble tulips, however, so much 

 as the flowers of the abutilon and althea. 



This tree is known in New England rather as an orna- 

 mental tree than as a denizen of the forest. Its native 

 habitats are nearly the same with those of the magnolia, 

 belonging to an allied family. There is not much in the 

 proportions of this tree to attract our admiration, except 

 its size. But its leaves are glossy and of a fine dark 

 green, its branches smooth, and its form symmetrical. It 

 is a tree that agrees very well with dressed grounds, and 

 its general appearance harmonizes with the insipidity of 

 artificial landscape. It is wanting in the picturesque 

 characters of the oak and the tupelo, and inferior in this 

 respect to the common trees of our forest. 



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