More on Tuliptree Mania

Tuliptree Mania

Shakespeare used the term ”trippingly” to refer to a lilting or nimble effect as in “trippingly on the tongue” rather than bombastic speechifying referenced in his Hamlet directives. The Latin name of tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera) should thusly be spoken trippingly. Try saying it out loud; very elvish and fairy-like trills, as befits the “trippingly” term he first used in “Midsummer Night’s Dream”.

And what a tree this is: large, lobed tulip-shaped leaves. The flowers are wondrous:  cup-shaped with yellow-green petals with orange flares at the base.  The tree grows...

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Authors
Jim Chatfield
Joe Boggs