76 Native Trees of Kentucky 



a. Tulip Tree Liriodendron tnlipifcra. 



( )riginally, the Tulip Tree was found abundantly in all parts 

 of the State ; for years Eastern Kentucky supplied the world's 

 market ; in Western Kentucky it rivaled the White Oak in size 

 and number ; it was abundant in the Trade Water district of 

 Northwestern Kentucky and was prominent among forest trees 

 in the southern part of the State. In the early part of the Nine- 

 teenth century, Michaux reported a pure forest of Tulip Trees 

 from Bardstown to Louisville, with trees 22V 2 feet in circumfer- 

 ence, three miles from Louisville. The great height, straightne^ 

 and uniform diameter of its long clear trunk, easily place the 

 Tulip Tree in the foremost rank of Kentucky's valuable commer- 

 cial trees. These facts, together with its special property of float- 

 ing easily, brought it into the lumber market soon after the Wal- 

 nut, so that the Tulip Tree to-day is found only in limited quan- 

 tities in accessible parts of the State. Government experts are 

 of the opinion that old cuttings, if protected from lire, furnish 

 ideal conditions for a second growth, and that old deformed un- 

 sound seed trees, left standing, offer excellent opportunity for 

 establishing new forests by natural reproduction, if the seedlings 

 are given sufficient light and protection from fire and grazing. 



The wood, which is easily worked, is used for ship building, 

 house construction, and is fast becoming prominent for exterior 

 trimmings, cornices, porch posts and weather boarding. Curly 

 growth is occasionally found, usually on one side of the tree, 

 although Tulip Trees have recently been cut with the curl ex- 

 tending throughout the circumference. This curly wood brings 

 a good price from veneer factories. 



The Tulip Tree or "Yellow Poplar of the Ohio River," meets 

 successfully the severe requirements of the vehicle manufacturers, 

 both on account of the high quality of its wood and the valuable 

 aid given by the action of the water in seasoning it while the logs 

 are floated down the river. 



In former days, the Indians made a choice of the Tulip wood 

 for canoes because of its lightness : the early settlers made a drug 

 from the bark with the tonic effect of Cinchona. 



