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Catalpa speciosa
Catalpa speciosa, commonly known as the northern catalpa, hardy catalpa, western
catalpa, cigar tree, catawba-tree, [1 ] or bois chavanon,[2] is a species of Catalpa native to the Northern catalpa
midwestern United States.

The Latin specific epithet speciosa means “showy”.[3]

Contents
Description
Distribution
Cultivation and uses
Diseases
Gallery
References Scientific classification
External links Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Description Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
It is a medium-sized, deciduous tree growing to 15–30 meters tall and 12 meters wide. It has a trunk
up to 1 m diameter, with brown to gray bark maturing into hard plates or ridges. Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
The leaves are deciduous, opposite (or whorled), large, heart shaped, 20–30 cm long and 15–20 cm
broad, pointed at the tip and softly hairy beneath. The leaves generally do not color in autumn before Family: Bignoniaceae
falling, instead, they either fall abruptly after the first hard freeze, or turn a slightly yellow-brown
Genus: Catalpa
before dropping off. The catalpa tree is the last tree to grow leaves in the spring. The winter twigs of
northern catalpa are like those of few other trees, having sunken leaf scars that resemble suction Species: C. speciosa
cups. Their whorled arrangement (three scars per node) around the twigs is another diagnostic.
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The flowers are 3–6 cm across, trumpet shaped, white with yellow stripes and purple spots inside; Binomial name
they grow in panicles of 10-30.
Catalpa speciosa
The fruit is a long, thin legume-like capsule, 20–40 cm long and 10–12 mm diameter; it often stays (Warder) Warder ex Engelm.
attached to tree during winter (and can be mistaken for brown icicles). The pod contains numerous
flat, light brown seeds with two papery wings.

It is closely related to southern catalpa, and can be distinguished by the flowering panicles, which
bear a smaller number of larger flowers, and the slightly broader seed pods.

Distribution
Catalpa speciosa was originally thought to be native only to a small area of the midwestern United
States near the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. However, in 1976, investigation of an
archeological site of an island in West Virginia's portion of the Ohio River revealed Catalpa speciosa
to be present on the island around the period of 1500-1700 CE. This suggests that Catalpa speciosa
may have experienced a decline in range before European settlement. Today, its range has widely Natural range of Catalpa speciosa
expanded east of the Rocky Mountains outside of its restricted pre-settlement location, further
obscuring its true native range.[4]

Cultivation and uses

It is widely planted as an ornamental tree. It is adapted to moist, high pH soil and full sun, but has been able to grow almost anywhere in
North America. In the UK it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit[2] (confirmed 2017).[5]

The wood is soft, like white pine, and light, weighing only 26 pounds per cubic foot when dry. It also does not rot easily; in earlier years it
was used for fence posts and less than successfully as railroad ties. More modern uses that highlight the wood's beautiful grain include
furniture, interior trim and cabinetry. Catalpa has one of the lowest shrinkage/expansion rates of any U.S. hardwood. Only northern white
cedar and redwood have lower shrinkage/expansion rates, and not by much. The wood's unique properties make it excellent for carving
and boat-building. Often regarded as a weed tree, its wood is under-appreciated and underused. The tree's tendency to grow crooked does
not help its reputation as a source of usable lumber.

Northern catalpa has been extensively cultivated in Ohio for over 200 years, and is now naturalized in urban and rural areas. Farmers
introduced the rapidly growing northern catalpa to Ohio to produce large amounts of timber for fenceposts.

Three liabilities exist in urban areas where it is found as both a shade and an ornamental tree. Northern catalpa rains down fragments of its
long fruits and fringed seeds from winter through spring, creating a cleanup chore. In addition, it often gets far too big for its allocated space
in the landscape, and crowds out or casts too much shade on other desirable plants. Finally, its brittle wood, coupled with tree height, makes
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its branches at times subject to wind or ice damage.

The tree is often sought out by fishing enthusiasts, not for the plant itself, but for a common parasite that is used as bait. The catalpa moth
caterpillar, Ceratomia catalpae, is widely regarded as one of the best live baits, and the tree may be planted strictly for this purpose, and
has earned the tree common names of worm tree, or bait tree.

Diseases
Although northern catalpa can have several diseases and pests, most are usually minor and pose no serious threat. The exception is the
caterpillar of Ceratomia catalpae, which can on occasion defoliate the tree, although without causing the tree much harm.

Gallery

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Flowers, leaf and A flowering northern Closeup of a leaf Beanpods and leaf Beans and leaves Northern catalpa in
bark catalpa in Dallas, details of the Ohio
Tex. northern catalpa

Tree in flower in Flowers in

Winnemucca, Winnemucca,
Nevada Nevada

References
1. "Catalpa speciosa" (https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=9592). Germplasm Resources Information Network
(GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
2. "RHS Plantfinder - Catalpa speciosa" (https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/21380/i-Catalpa-speciosa-i/Details). Retrieved 12 January 2018.
3. Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for Gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. ISBN 184533731X.
4. Hemmings, E. Thomas and Earl L. Core (Mar., 1976). "Archeological Evidence for Range Extension of the Catawba Tree (Catalpa
speciosa Warder) in West Virginia". Castanea 41(1):9-11
5. "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf) (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July
2017. p. 16. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
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External links
Arbor Day Tree Guide: "Northern Catalpa" (http://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?ID=130)

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