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Common Trees 



TULIP TREE 



Liriodendron tulipifeta, Linnaeus 



THE TULIP TREE, also called Yellow Poplar and White- 

 wood, is one of the most distinctive of American trees. 

 The leaves are simple, alternate, usually 4-Iobed, 4 to 6 

 inches across, appear to have tips cut off at right angle to 



TULIP TREE 

 Leaf and flower, one-third natural size. Twig, two-thirds natural size. 



stem, are long-stalked. At the base of each leafstalk are two 

 leaf-appendages. 



The flowers are tulip-like, \]/i to 2 inches deep, greenish- 

 yellow with 3 reflexed sepals and 6 petals. 



The fruit is made up of long winged nutlets arranged in 

 light-brown, cone-like clusters 2]/i to 3 inches long. 



The bark when young is smooth, bitter, ash-gray to 

 brown, mottled with light blotches. On old trunks it be- 

 comes thick, brown, deeply furrowed. The twigs are smooth, 

 shiny, stout, reddish-brown, marked with pale obscure breath- 

 ing pores. Complete rings of stipule-scars surround twigs. 

 The buds are smooth, flattened, J4 to Yi of an inch long, 

 blunt-pointed, reddish-brown, covered with one pair of bud- 

 scales. Within buds are small miniature leaves. 



The wood is soft, not strong, light, white-yellowish to 

 brownish, works easily. It is used for furniture, interior 

 finishings, woodenware, novelties, and veneer. 



The Tulip Tree is found from Rhode Island to Michigan, 

 south to Florida and Arkansas. In New York it is found 

 from Rensselaer and Saratoga counties to the Ontario low- 

 lands and Lake Erie, and southward it becomes more abun- 

 dant. Deep rich moist soil is its favorite home. It fre- 

 quently reaches a height of 80 feet and a diameter of 5 feet. 



