Liriodendron chinensis seed
LATIN NAME: Liriodendron chinense
COMMON NAME: Chinese Tulip Tree
The Chinese tulip tree is the tall, handsome tree with the curious, four-lobed leaves. The upright, deciduous tree carries the large, glossy, four-lobed leaves that turn the fine, golden-yellow in the autumn, and the small, greenish-yellow, tulip-like flowers open high in the canopy through the early summer. The tree is the close relative of the great tulip tree of the eastern woods, and it is one of the fine, elegant trees of the temperate gardens. It is a tree of the deep, rich, well-drained ground and the open, sunny spot.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The Chinese tulip tree has carved a quiet but solid place in the plant science, and the tree has been studied for the curious, four-lobed leaves and the small, tulip-like flowers. The way the tree is built and its close kinship with the great tulip tree of the eastern woods have been studied steadily, and it keeps showing up in the work on the magnolia family and the fine timber trees of the warm temperate forests. The large, glossy leaves and the fine, golden autumn colours have also made it a handsome garden tree, and the tree is a regular subject of the studies of the rare and the elegant trees of the east.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
The Chinese tulip tree does a lot of work in the garden and the wider world. The tall, upright tree is a fine, bold presence in the park, the avenue and the large garden, and the curious, four-lobed leaves turn the fine, golden-yellow in the autumn. The small, greenish-yellow flowers open high in the canopy, and the tree is also a fine, solid timber tree in its native mountains. It has been written up in the horticultural and the forestry papers for the elegant habit and the fine autumn colour, and it is a fine, long-lived tree of the deep, rich, well-drained garden.
The Chinese tulip tree is one of the fine, elegant trees of the east, and the curious, four-lobed leaves are the first thing the eye finds. The small, greenish-yellow, tulip-like flowers open high in the canopy, and the large, glossy leaves turn the fine, golden-yellow in the autumn, one of the good colours of the season.
To grow the Chinese tulip tree from seed, chill the seeds in the fridge for a few weeks in moist sand, then sow them at a shallow depth in pots of moist, free-draining soil, covering them thinly, keep them in a bright, sheltered spot and water gently. The seedlings are up within a few weeks and grow on steadily. With the sun, the shelter and the deep, rich, well-drained ground, the four-lobed leaves and the golden autumn colour will come in a few seasons.
In spring and early summer, the young foliage is an attractive chocolate-purple colour, darkening to green as the leaves age. Once fully established it has flowers similar to those of the standard Liriodendron tulipifera, although these can take a long time to appear.
An unusual and highly ornamental, garden tree.