Most people have seen tulips before—but have you ever seen a tulip tree? When I visited my daughter in New York, we went for a walk in Caumsett State Park, and I noticed a tall tree with the most unusual tulip-shaped flowers. That’s when I learned about Liriodendron tulipifera, better known as the tulip tree or tulip poplar. Despite the name, it isn’t a poplar at all; it’s actually a member of the magnolia family.
Tulip trees are some of the tallest native trees in the eastern United States, with rare giants reaching nearly 192 feet. They grow fast and love deep, rich, moist soil—no wonder they’re so common across the South and East. In spring, their pale greenish-yellow flowers appear, each with a little orange band at the base, and in fall the leaves turn a bright, cheerful yellow.
These trees have quite a history too. Their wood has long been prized—organ builders love it for its smooth finish, woodcarvers enjoy working with it, and early settlers used it for everything from siding to canoes. George Washington even planted tulip trees at Mount Vernon that have grown over 140 feet tall.
They’re beautiful, useful, and even sweet—literally. The flowers produce nectar that bees turn into a dark, rich honey. No wonder the tulip tree is the state tree of Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. If you ever spot one in bloom on a hike, it’s worth stopping to take a closer look.
大多數人都看過鬱金香，但你看過鬱金香樹嗎？我去紐約探望女兒時，我們一起在考姆塞特州立公園散步，我注意到一棵高大的樹，開著形狀奇特的鬱金香狀花朵。那時我才知道，原來它是北美鵝掌楸，也就是人們常說的鬱金香樹。它是木蘭科植物。
北美鵝掌楸是美國東部最高的原生樹種之一，罕見的巨型鵝掌楸甚至可以長到近 192 英尺（約 58 公尺）。它們生長迅速，喜好深厚、肥沃、濕潤的土壤——難怪它們在南部和東部地區如此常見。春天，它們會開出淡黃綠色的花朵，每朵花的底部都有一圈橙色的條紋；到了秋天，葉子會變成明亮、令人愉快的黃色。
這些樹木也有悠久的歷史。它們的木材一直以來都備受珍視——管風琴製造者喜愛它光滑的表面，木雕師樂於用它來創作，早期的殖民拓荒者則用它來製作各種物品，從房屋外牆到獨木舟。喬治華盛頓甚至在弗農山莊種植了鬱金香樹，如今這些樹已經長到了 140 多英尺高。
它們美麗、實用，甚至還很甜——真的甜。花朵會分泌花蜜，蜜蜂會將其釀成濃鬱的深色蜂蜜。難怪鬱金香樹是印第安納州、肯塔基州和田納西州的州樹。如果你在散步時碰巧看到一棵盛開的鬱金香樹，不妨停下來仔細欣賞一番。
Notes 筆記
- Liriodendron tulipifera is known by many common names, including tulip tree, American tulip tree, tulipwood, tuliptree, tulip poplar, whitewood, fiddletree, and yellow-poplar. The genus name comes from the Greek words leirion (“lily”) and dendron (“tree”), referring to the lily-like flowers. The specific epithet tulipifera means “tulip-bearing,” describing the shape of the blossoms.
- The tulip tree is one of the largest native trees of the eastern United States and has been recorded in exceptional cases reaching heights of about 191.8 feet. It prefers deep, rich, and moderately moist soils and is common throughout the southern and eastern United States. Growth is generally fairly rapid.
- The flowering period begins as early as April in the southern United States. The flowers are pale green or yellow (rarely white) with an orange band at the base of the tepals. The tree provides vibrant yellow fall color and features aromatic twigs when scratched or crushed.
- The tulip tree is the state tree of Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
- Nectar is produced primarily in the orange portion of the flower. The species is an important honey plant in the eastern United States, yielding a dark, reddish, fairly strong-flavored honey.
- Tulip tree wood is valued for organ building because it takes a fine, smooth, precisely cut finish that seals well against pipes and valves. It is also commonly used for siding, clapboards, interior finish work, carriage panels, coffin boxes, pattern timber, and various types of woodenware. It is widely used in woodcarving as well. Although sometimes described as “termite-resistant,” the wood is only moderately resistant and not considered highly durable by modern standards.
- Historically abundant in its natural range, tulip trees were favored by loggers for railroad ties and fence posts. George Washington planted tulip trees at Mount Vernon that today stand about 140 feet tall, and Daniel Boone is said to have used tulip tree wood to make a 60-foot dugout canoe.
- 北美鵝掌楸有許多俗名，包括鬱金香樹、美洲鵝掌楸、鬱金香木、鬱金香楊、白木、琴葉樹和黃楊。其屬名源自希臘文 leirion（百合）和 dendron（樹木），指的是其形似百合的花。種加詞 tulipifera 意為「結鬱金香的」，描述了其花朵的形狀。
- 北美鵝掌楸是美國東部最大的本土樹種之一，據記載，在極少數情況下可長到約 191.8 英尺高。它喜好深厚、肥沃且略微濕潤的土壤，在美國南部和東部地區廣泛分佈。其生長速度通常相當快。
- 在美國南部，花期最快可從四月開始。花朵為淺綠色或黃色（極少為白色），花被片基部有一條橙色帶。秋季樹葉會呈現鮮豔的黃色，樹枝刮擦或搓揉後會散發出香氣。
- 北美鵝掌楸是印第安納州、肯塔基州和田納西州的州樹。
- 花蜜主要產於花朵的橘色部分。這種植物是美國東部重要的蜜源植物，產出的蜂蜜呈現深紅色，味道較濃。
- 北美鵝掌楸木材因其表面光滑細膩，切割精準，能與管風琴的管口和閥門完美貼合，故被譽為管風琴製造的理想材料。它也常用於製作外牆板、護牆板、室內裝飾、馬車車廂板、棺材、樣品木以及各種木製品。此外，鵝掌楸木材也廣泛用於木雕。儘管有時被描述為「防白蟻」，但其防白蟻能力僅為中等，以現代標準來看，其耐久性並不高。
- 北美鵝掌楸在其自然分佈範圍內歷史上數量眾多，伐木工人喜歡用它來製作鐵路枕木和柵欄柱。喬治華盛頓在弗農山莊種植的鵝掌楸如今已長到約 140 英尺高，據說丹尼爾布恩曾用鵝掌楸的木材製作了一艘 60 英尺長的獨木舟。
References 參考資料
- Wikipedia: Liriodendron tulipifera
Plants Posts 植物的帖子
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