Monday, January 17, 2011

Tulip Fever

Tulip Tree samaras left on tree in winter, Prospect Park, Brooklyn

Liriodendron tulipifera in winter in Prospect Park. The remaining samaras above and the winter silhouette below. According to my New York City Trees book, loggers now use the Tulip Tree to make door and window frames and plywood veneer among other things. According to Peterson's Field Guide of Medicinal Plants, Native Americans chewed the green bark as an aphrodisiac and stimulant. But a tea was made from the bark too for assisting with a case of the pinworms. It's a pretty fantastic looking tree too in any season.

Winter Silhouette Tulip Tree, Prospect Park, Brooklyn

2 comments:

Frank said...

Awesome tree. I think what I would call Poplar in the lumberyard, might actually be the tulip tree. Common names abound in the Poplars, but somewhere I read this lately.

Sweetgum Thursday said...

I think you're right. Definitely a Poplar in one of it's common names. The one in the picture above is right off the loop around the park, not too far from the concert grounds.