TAMARISK 



The tamarisks (Tamarix) are shrubs or small trees with small scale- 

 like deciduous leaves greatly resembling those of cypress, and spikes of small 

 pink or white blossoms which completely cover the trees in spring. They 

 grow naturally on the sea shore or in sandy places, from Japan and China 

 to Madeira and the Canary Islands, and from Senegambia to Siberia. They 

 thrive in the very spray of salt water. 



The name tamarisk either came from the river Tamaris in the Pyrenees, 

 on whose banks it grows, or from the Hebrew tamarik, cleansing, from its use 

 s either for purifying the blood or for making brooms. A decoction of the young 

 twigs is said to be used by the Tartars for rheumatism and for bruises. A 

 Syrian species, when stung by an insect, exudes a mucilaginous sugar which 

 the Arabs term "manna" and which they use with their unleavened bread. 



No shrub is better adapted to the planting of waste spots where soil and 

 moisture conditions are adverse. It thrives under almost any condition, and 

 will grow readily from cuttings, like the willow. It makes a good windbreak 

 due to its dense foliage and does not sap, the ground since the roots go straight 

 down instead of spreading in a lateral direction. It reaches a height of ten to 

 twelve feet, but can be readily trimmed to form hedges if desired. 



TULIP 



The tulip (Liriodendron tulipifera), commonly called yellow poplar, was 

 one of the earliest of the hardwoods that flourished in the cretaceous age. 

 In that remote time, the genus to which it belongs, and which is now repre- 

 sented by only two species, one in Central China and the other in the eastern 

 part of the United States, flourished in Greenland together with bald cypress, 

 sycamore, redwood and other trees which were forced to the south during 

 the Ice Age. The ice pushed from the north down to middle United States, 

 burying everything. Many species of trees perished, but the tulip managed 

 to survive and worked its way as far north as Canada when the ice sheet 

 finally melted away. Some of its former companions, notably the redwood 

 and big tree of California, never succeeded in extending their range to the 

 north after being pushed to their present location. 



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