What Are Tulip Tree Leaves Used For?

Tulip trees are versatile plants with many uses in the garden, at home and beyond. The trees grow very tall, up to 60 feet, and are wonderful specimens in the garden, branching out wide with large flowers that provide both beauty and shade. Different parts of the tulip tree can be used for various means; however, the tree's leaves themselves offer very little practical human use but to provide shade when still attached to the tree. Does this Spark an idea?

Folk Medicine

Tulip tree leaves are generally not recognized to have any practical use. However. according to Cherokee folk medicine. the leaves can be used as a pain reliever. The leaves are not ingested, but are made into a leaf poultice or compress to be applied to painful areas. In traditional Native American medicine, tulip tree bark has many more uses than the leaves. Taken as an infusion, the bark of the tree was ingested to combat and cure worms, diarrhea, dyspepsia and other intestinal illnesses. The bark infusion can also be used as a cough medicine or to treat rheumatism. Fresh green tulip tree bark was considered a stimulant. This quality was utilized by chewing on the bark.

Western medicine has not verified any of these uses for the tulip tree and has since found no medicinal value in the plant; never use any type of extract of this plant to treat any medical condition before consulting a physician.

Wood

Tulip tree leaves have little practical use, but their honey derived from their flowers is considered very valuable. Honeybees are especially attracted to the pollen of tulip tree flowers and will flock to a tulip tree when it is blooming, thus pollinating nearby plants. The honey produced by tulip tree flowers is much revered by bakers, though it is not considered suitable as table honey.

Paper

Though not used for mass production of paper, the wood of the tulip tree with its off white color is a great resource for paper making. The relatively soft wood is easily made into the pulp which is used to make paper, and the natural color tone of the tree's wood makes for a pleasantly colored paper without using any additives.

Wood

Named canoe wood by some Native Americans, Tulip trees provide a very malleable yet sturdy wood that is made much use of. Lumber is commonly made of tulip tree wood. It is also used frequently in furniture and for more intricate carving works. The wood is also used for veneer.