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JJKIODENDRONTULIPIFERA. COMMON TULIP-TREE,
-iHHHlHiHHHMHtjHiHHHHHfr
Clafs and Order.
POLYANDRIA PoLYGYNIA,
Generic Character.
CaL 3-phyllus. Petala 6. Sem. imbricata in ftrobilum.
Specific CharaEler and Synonyms.
URIODENDRON Tulipifera foliis lobaiis. Linn. Syfl. Veg,.
ed. 1 4. Murr. p. 507. Ait. Kew. v. 2. 250,
TULIPIFERA virginiana, tripartite aceris folio : media laciniavelutabfcifla.
Pluk. Aim. 3 79. t. 1 17.
f. 5 . & t. 248. f. 7. Catejb. Carol, i . p,
48. t. 4 8.
LIRIODENDRON foliis angulatis truncatis. Trew. Ehret. t. x.
The Tulip-tree is a native of moft parts of North-America,
MARSH-ALL defcribes it as often growing to the fize of a very
largf tree, 70 or 80 feet in height, and above 4 feet in dia
meter ; he mentions two varieties, one with yellow and the other
v,itl. white wood; that with yellow wood is foft and brittle,
much ufed for boards, heels of fhoes, alfo turned into bowls,
tiMnchers, &c. the white is heavy, tough, and hard, and is
fawed into joifts, boards, &c. for building.
RAY informs us in his Hifl. PL that this tree was cultU
vated here by Bifhop COMPTON, in 1688: and from MILLER
learn, that the firft tree of the kind which flowered in
s country, was in the gardens of the Earl of PETERBOROUGH*
irfons-Green, near Fulham; in Mr. ORD'S garden, at Wal-
Green, there is, among other choice old trees, a very fine
--!>-tree, which is every year covered with blofTorns, and which
ifl.>rded us the fpecirnen here figured. It flowers in June and
July, rarely ripens its feeds with us, though it does, readily in
America.
The foliage of this plant is extremely fingular, moft of the
leaves appearing as if truncated, or cut off at the extremity ;
they vary greatly in the divifion of their lobes, the flowers dif
fer from thofe of the tulip in having a calyx, but agree as to
ftc number of petals, which is "fix ; and fo they are defcribed
Jn ilic fixth edition of the Gen. PL of LINN, but in Profe/or
MURRAY'S Syjl. Veg. Ait. H. K. Linn. Syfl. Nat. ed. 1 3, by
G M * LIN, 9 are given, this in the firft inftance muft be a mere
typographical error arifing from the inverfion of the 6.
Thii tree is found to flourifh moft in a foil moderately ftiff
oift, is ufually raifed from feeds, the procefs of which is
defcribed by MILLER in his Dictionary.