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PLANTS AND MAN 



with large terminal buds which show a single outer scale, often 

 covered with short silky hairs. The seeds, borne in a conelike 

 fruit, possess a pulpy outer layer which attracts birds and aids in 

 their dispersal. 



The group includes but one species, the cucumber tree, 

 which is important for its timber. It ranges from central New 

 York southward to the gulf states, and westward to Ohio, 

 Indiana, Illinois and Arkansas, being of commercial importance 

 in Tennessee, Kentucky, and the Carolinas. It is a medium 

 to large sized tree, reaching one hundred by four feet on moist, 

 fertile soils where it grows mixed with other hardwood species. 

 The wood is light, close grained, soft and brittle, and not dis- 

 tinguished from that of yellow poplar in the lumber trade. 



Several other magnolias reach small tree size in the warmer 



parts of the United States and are 

 used as shade and ornamental 

 trees in such regions. 



The Tulip Tree 



The TULIP TREE, or YELLOW 



POPLAR (Liriodendron) is the only 

 North American member of its 

 genus; one other species is native 

 to central China (fig. 213). Its 

 leaves are alternate, nearly cir- 

 cular in outline but four lobed, 

 and broadly notched or almost 

 flattened at the tip. The twigs are 

 rather stout, smooth and lus- 

 trous, with a terminal bud 

 shaped somewhat like a duck's bill. The flowers are very showy, 

 and tulip-like in appearance, giving rise to a cone-like fruit 

 composed of many winged seeds. 



The tulip tree reaches a height greater than that of any other 

 native broad-leaved tree, growing to be two hundred feet high 

 and twelve feet in diameter. The trunk is straight and clear of 

 branches for a considerable distance above the ground, adding to 

 its commercial value. The species ranges widely in the Eastern 



Fig. 213. — Tulip trees have four- 

 lobed leaves and showy flowers. 



