Catalpa is native to warm temperate regions of North America, the West Indies, and eastern Asia. The plant grows 50 feet tall but can go to 90 feet. It is a short lived, coarse textured tree which spreads 50 feet, has crooked branches and an irregular crown.

 

The leaf of Catalpa is 6 to 12" whorled or opposite, simple; and poor yellow-green to brown fall in color. They are opposite or in whorls of 3, with long petiolate, ovate, acuminate, entire, typically somewhat truncate at base or cordate, glabrous to sparsely pubescent above, pubescent below, to 30cm long, 20cm broad.

 

The main ornamental feature of Catalpa is the panicles of flowers produced in early summer. Catalpa has upright white, bell shaped flowers with orange strips and purple spots and strips. The plant has long bean like fruit. It is a long pod, tubular, 6cm long, 4cm wide, and can be a litter problem. The seeds are 4cm long, with a coma. The bark is gray to reddish brown, and separated into irregular shallow fissures and scaly ridges.

 

The plant requires sun to partial shade to grow well enough. The range of soil types is wet to dry but prefers moist, well drained soil. The plant tolerates hot weather.

 

Catalpa produces timber which has the reputation of being able to lie for a century on wet ground without rotting. The tree is the food plant of the Catalpa Sphinx moth, the leaves being eaten by the caterpillars. Due to their large leaf size, Catalpas provide very dark shade and are a popular habitat for many birds, providing them good shelter from rain and wind. These trees have very little limb droppage, but they do drop large bean pods during late summer.

 

Did you know?

 

·        Catalpa" is said to be a mispronunciation of 'Catawba', the name of a first nation American tribe, in whose territory botanists first recorded the tree.

·        The largest living Catalpa tree is on the lawn of the Michigan State Capitol, which was planted at the time the Capitol was dedicated in 1873.