74 JIAGNOLIACE.E. 



liot(!h, which gives the 1( af tho apponranro of having Loon cut off. Abnvo 

 tho loaves arc siiiootli and sliining, of a dark yolluwish-groon ; iindornoalh 

 much lighter, and strongly veined. The flowers are 2 to JJ inches in di- 

 ameter, beautifully tinted, resembling some vai'ieties of the tulip, avIh ncc 

 the common name, and, as they are jn'oduccd in immense numbers, add 

 greatly to the beauty of this majestic tree duiing tlui period of its intlo- 

 rescence. The flowers ajtpear, in the latitude of New York, about the iir&t 

 of June, when tho tree is in full leaf. • 



Habitat. — From Canada to Florida and westward to Eastern Kansas, 

 growing more luxiu-iantly in rich moist ground, though occurring not un- 

 frocpiontly in elevat(!d and dry situations. Under the name of white wood 

 it is extensively used in cabinet work, in the inner wood-work of houses) 

 for carriage panels, etc. Li some sections of the country it is known as 

 ichile pnithir, in (j'uors yellow poplar ; both unfortunate appellations, since 

 it in no way resembles the true poplars, but is, on the contrary, a tree tsui 

 gcjicriii, 1 f'ing tho only siiccios of its genus in the known world. 



Part rs('(/. — Tho bark, taken indiscriminately from the root, trunk, or 

 branches — not otlicial. 



Const it lauits.' — The bark of the tulip tree has a pungent, aromatic, bitter 

 taste, and (o analysis yields a crystalline principle, termed liriodeuilriit, 

 having *ho same sensible properties. Whatever medicinal effects may bo 

 attributed to tho drug are doubtless duo to this princijjle. It may bo 

 obtained in a crvstalline form from tho alcoholic tincture, or as an amor- 

 puous powder from the infusion. It exists in greater proportion in tho 

 fresh bark than in that which has been long kept. 



Preparationf^. — There are no ofJicial preparations, nor is the active 

 jninciple prepared in connnorcial quantities. The tlrug may bo adminis- 

 tered in powder, or in the form of infusion or tincture. The earlier 

 writers, from whom most of our knowledge of this subject comes, lireferred 

 to administer it in substance. 



Medical Properties and Usea. — Like magnolia, the tulip tree possesses 

 aromatic, bitter tonic properties. Some of the earlier writers upon Anjor- 

 ican mediciufd plants considered it nearly, if not altogether, as elHcacious 

 as cinchona in the tvoatmcut of intermittent fevers. It was, however, 

 administered in comi .nation with flowering dogwood (Cui'nus Jlorida), 

 probably a much more efficient drug. It has also been xised as a stimu- 

 lant diaphoretic in both acute and chronic rheumatism, and as a simple 

 tonic in dyspeptic ailments, and in convalescence from acute dysentery 

 and other acute diseases. At present it can scarcely be said to hold a 

 place in scientific medicine, and even as a domestic remedy it is prob.'il)ly 

 seldom employed. 



