Rabu, 09 Juni 2010

The American Tulip Tree Cultivation & Uses

The tree grows readily from seeds, which should be sown in a fine soft mould, and in a cool and shady situation. If sown in autumn they come up the succeeding spring, but if sown in spring they often remain a year in the ground. Loudon says that seeds from the highest branches of old trees are most likely to germinate. It is readily propagated from cuttings and easily transplanted.


In landscaping

Tulip trees make magnificently-shaped specimen trees, but are very large, growing to about 35 m in good soil. They grow best in deep well-drained loam which has thick dark topsoil. They show stronger response to fertilizer compounds (those with low salt index are preferred) than most other trees, but soil structure and organic matter content are more important. The southeastern coastal plain and east central Florida ecotypes occur in wet but not stagnant soils which are high in organic matter. All tulip trees are unreliable in clay flats which are subject to ponding and flooding. Like other members of the Magnolia family, they have fleshy roots that are easily broken if handled roughly. Transplanting should be done in early spring, before leaf-out; this timing is especially important in the more northern areas. Fall planting is often successful in Florida. The east central Florida ecotype may be more easily moved than other strains because its roots grow over nine or ten months every year—several months longer than other ecotypes. Most tulip trees have low tolerance of drought, although Florida natives (especially the east central ecotype) fare better than southeastern coastal plain or northern inland specimens.

It is recommended as a shade tree.

L. tulipifera has been introduced to many temperate parts of the world, at least as far north as Sykkylven, Norway. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is cultivated in parts of Argentina, Australia (at least as far north as Sydney), Chile, New Zealand, South Africa, and Uruguay. In Canada, it is native to that part of Ontario south of a line from Hamilton to Sarnia, with many specimens in Rondeau Provincial Park, but most cultivation is seen in British Columbia. There, it grows in Prince Rupert, and in the southern interior as far north as Vernon. Its easternmost cultivation is at Creston. It is common in southwestern cities such as Burnaby, New Westminster, Port Alberni, Vancouver and Victoria. In the United States, introductions have been most successful in parts of Washington, Oregon, California, Oklahoma and Texas. A few are in Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Hampshire and Maine. The east central Florida ecotype grows well in Palm Beach County, Florida and Austin, Texas.


Honey

This tree species is a major honey plant in the eastern United States, yielding a dark reddish, fairly strong honey which gets mixed reviews as a table honey but is favorably regarded by bakers. Nectar is produced in the orange parts of the flowers. Some specimens may be poor nectar producers simply because they have relatively little orange in their flowers. On the other hand, the east central Florida ecotype may secrete copious amounts of nectar (see the images of its flowers below).


Wood

The soft, fine-grained wood of tulip trees is misleadingly known as "poplar" (short for "yellow poplar") in the U.S., but marketed abroad as "American tulipwood" or by other names. It is very widely used where a cheap, easy-to-work and stable wood is needed. The sapwood is usually a creamy off-white color. While the heartwood is usually a pale green, it can take on streaks of red, purple, or even black; depending on the extractives content (i.e. the soil conditions where the tree was grown, etc.). It is clearly the wood of choice for use in organs, due to its ability to take a fine, smooth, precisely-cut finish and so to effectively seal against pipes and valves. It is also commonly used for siding clapboards. Its wood may be compared in texture, strength, and softness to white pine.

Used for interior finish of houses, for siding, for panels of carriages, for coffin boxes, pattern timber, and wooden ware. During scarcity of the better qualities of white pine, tulip wood has taken its place to some extent, particularly when very wide boards are required.




Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liriodendron_tulipifera

See also: Florist, Florists, Flower

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