Liriodendron tulipifera “Imagine a tall tree with unearthly foliage and 5,000 tulips in its hair.” — Thomas Pakenham, Meetings with Remarkable Trees Tuliptrees seem to inspire poetic interpretation. Leaves appear snipped off at the tips by supernatural scissors, forming the silhouette of a stylized tip. The tree’s flowers, the real reason for the name tuliptree, stand singly at the tips of twigs — six large, yellowish petals that to American naturalist Donald Peattie, “hold the sunshine in their cups, setting the whole giant tree alight.” Later in the season, dry, cone-like fruits continue the picturesque parade with their resemblance of little torches held boldly aloft. The glorious tuliptree is the state tree of Indiana and Tennessee, it is the tallest of the eastern hardwoods and grows rapidly when conditions are right. In fact, writer Hugh Johnson notes that a “seedling with all its prayers answered has grown 50 feet in 11 years!” Tuliptree: A Flower bed in the Sky Tuliptree is valued in the forest for its magnificent form that yields a wide range of useful wood products. In the city, it is appreciated in parks or other large spaces for its beauty and relative absence of pest problems. What’s … Continue reading A Tree with Tulips in its Hair