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More notable trees
Tulip Trees, Liriodendron tulipifera & Liriodendron chinense
2001
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A collection of tulip trees can be
found close to the Azalea
Garden
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The North American species of tulip tree, Liriodendron tulipifera, was
first introduced to Britain in 1688 and a specimen planted in the 1770’s
still grows in the Azalea Garden off Princess Walk. The Chinese tulip tree, Liriodendron
chinense, a far superior species, wasn’t introduced until 1901
by Ernest Wilson.
In 1996 an expedition from Kew to Dabashan in Sichuan, China collected
seeds from a single specimen found in primary forest. The seed produced
only a handful of young trees, so in 1999 the Kew team revisited the Dabashan
area and from co-ordinates using GPS taken in 1996 found the same tree standing
alone as an isolated specimen, since most of the large surrounding trees
had been felled for timber. The tall tree had been retained and used as
an anchor for a skyline to extract timber to the roadside and had produced
lots of good seed from the stress placed upon it.
In 2001, from this second seed collection, 28 young trees were planted
to recreate the old “Tulip Tree Avenue” in the arboretum at
Kew, albeit with the Chinese species instead of the North American.
This is a very rare, threatened tree in the wild, fast disappearing due
to large scale felling. There are few trees in collections growing from
known wild origin and this mass planting represents a good collection of
genetic diversity, vital for the conservation and the long-term preservation
of this primitive species.
Find out more
Search
Kew's electronic Plant Information Centre for scientific
information about Liriodendron species
More plants
Heritage
trees
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