GROUP X. TULIP TREE, SWEET GUM, LINDEN, MAGNOLIA, LOCUST, CATALPA, DOGWOOD, MULBERRY AND OSAGE ORANGE
Distinguishing characters: There are four characters that stand out conspicuously in the tulip tree--the *bud*, the *trunk*, the persistent *fruit cups* and the wedged *leaf*.
The bud, Fig. 74, about three-quarters of an inch long, is covered by two purplish scales which lend special significance to its whole appearance. The trunk is extremely individual because it rises stout and shaft-like, away above the ground without a branch as shown in Fig. 73. The tree flowers in the latter part of May but the cup that holds the fruit persists throughout the winter. The leaf, Fig. 75, has four lobes, is nearly as broad as it is long and so notched at the upper end that it looks different from any other leaf.
[Illustration: FIG. 73.--The Tulip Tree.]
[Illustration: FIG. 74.--Bud of the Tulip Tree.]
Form and size: The tulip tree is one of the largest, stateliest and tallest of our trees.
Soil and location: Requires a deep, moist soil.
Enemies: Comparatively free from insects and disease.
Value for planting: The tree has great value as a specimen on the lawn but is undesirable as a street tree because it requires considerable moisture and transplants with difficulty. It should be planted while young and where it can obtain plenty of light. It grows rapidly.
Commercial value: The wood is commercially known as _whitewood_ and _yellow poplar_. It is light, soft, not strong and easily worked. It is used in construction, for interior finish of houses, woodenware and shingles. It has a medicinal value.
Other characters: The _flower_, shown in Fig. 75, is greenish yellow in color, appears in May and resembles a tulip; hence the name tulip tree. The _fruit_ is a cone.
Other common names: _Whitewood_; _yellow poplar_; _poplar_ and _tulip poplar_.
[Illustration: FIG. 75.--Leaf and Flower of the Tulip Tree.]
Distinguishing characters: The _persistent, spiny_, long-stemmed round *fruit*; _the corky growths on the_ *twigs*, the characteristic _star-shaped_ *leaves* (Fig. 76) and the very shiny greenish brown buds and the perfect symmetry of the tree are the chief characters by which to identify the species.