Friends of Belfast Botanic Gardens

Tree of the month series - this series of short articles about trees in the Belfast Botanic Gardens is compiled by members of the Friends group and Gardens staff. The series will gradually build up to a comprehensive archive of information about the trees in Belfast Botanic gardens. Each article will illustrate the tree in Belfast together with information from a range of sources elsewhere. For each tree there is a map or link to a map showing the location in the gardens. Click here for the rest of the trees

Tree of the Month, July 2007

Tulip Tree - Liriodendron tulipifera

The Belfast Botanic Gardens has a fine specimen of the tulip tree, just beside the entrance to the Tropical Ravine. This fast-growing North American forest tree can reach 165 ft (50m ) - the Belfast specimen certainly seems to be heading that way! It is a member of the Magnolia family, one of the most primitive groups of flowering plants. The flowers are tulip-shaped and usually yellow with a tinge of pink. The distinctive leaves look as if their ends have been cut off. The wood is fine-grained, easily worked and was much used in late Victorian times for the structural parts of wardrobes, chests-of drawers, etc. The soft nature of the wood, however, makes it a favorite diet of woodworm.

These photos taken on the 9th July 2007 in Belfast Botanic Gardens

for further information about the tulipl tree see the wikipedia article - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liriodendron_tulipifera