VEGETABLES. 



255 



Liriodendroriy tulifiifera^ or tiilip bearing poplar, 

 tulip tree, American poplar, white wood. A native 

 and well known tree in the United States. It attains 

 to a very large size, rising as high as any forest tree ; 

 and nnakes a beautiful appea^rance when in flower, 

 about the middle of May. There are two varieties, 

 the yellow and the white ; both of which afford ex 

 cellent timber. The bark of the root has long been 

 employed by medical men, and others in the United 

 States as a tonic ; and when joined with various pro- 

 portions of black alder, ( firinos verticillata J and 

 dogwood, ( cornus fiorida ) has afforded a remedy 

 of equal efficacy with the Peruvian bark. It is a 

 strong bitter, and considerably aromatic ; a decoc- 

 tion of it is said to be a common remedy in Virginia 

 for bottsin horses ; the powder, combined with steel 

 dust, is an excellent remedy m cases of general de- 

 bility, or relaxation of the stomach. The timber is 

 much used for various mechanical purposes, espe- 

 cially joists for upper floors, for which it answers 

 well, being light, and of tolerable strength. 



Celtis occidentalism American yellow-fruited net- 

 tle tree. 



This grows naturally in many parts of North 

 America. It delights in a rich, moist soil, in which 

 it becomes a large tree, rising with a straight stem, 

 the bark of which, in young trees, is sometimes 

 smooth, and of a dark colour, but as they advance 

 becomes rougher, and of a lighter colour. The 

 branches are set thick on every side, and garnished 

 with oblique oval leaves, ending in points and sawed 

 on their edges. The flowers come out opposite to 

 the leaves, upon pretty long footstalks ; they are 



