Catalpa

Catalpa speciosa (Warder) Warder ex Engelm.

       

   

All photographs are copyrighted and are the property of E. Brunner.

Family:  Bignoniaceae

Native or Introduced to Illinois: native

Natural Habit in Illinois:  bottomland woods; floodplains

Leaf:  Leaves are opposite (whorled), simple.  They are 8 to 12 inches long and heart-shaped.  Leaves are thick and firm, dark green above and downy beneath. 

Flower: Beautiful large white flowers in upright clusters.

Fruit:  The fruit is a slender, 8 to 20 inch long pod that ripens in early autumn.  The pod hangs on the tree all winter and opens in the spring before falling off.   

Twig/Bark:  The bark is thick, reddish brown, with scaly, longitudinal ridges.

Size/Form/Shape:  Catalpas grow rapidly. The trunks are short, often crooked, supporting a broad, rounded crown of slender, spreading branches and thick twigs. 

Other:  The Catalpa is often planted as an ornamental tree because it grows rapidly and its large, showy flowers.  After the flowers bloom, long, cylindrical pods filled with small winged seeds form.  This distinctive fruit hangs on the trees all winter.

County Distribution Map for Illinois:  

Sources for the Sullivan Middle School Tree Identification Guide were obtained though the use of the following sites:

• Illinois Plant Information Network (ILPIN) @ http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/delaware/ilpin/ilpin.html#Background
• List of Woody Plants Native or Naturalized in Illinois @ http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/~kenr/woody.html
• Tree Species @ http://ostermiller.org/tree/species.html
• Index to Eastern/Central Trees @ http://www.arborday.org/trees/ECtreelist.html
• ISU Forestry Extension Identification of Common Trees of Iowa @ http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Pages/tree/
• Key to Leaves of Virginia Trees @ http://www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/forsite/key/intro.htm
• List of Native Trees for Use Along Roadsides in Illinois @ http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/~kenr/treetable.html
• The PLANTS Database @ http://plants.usda.gov/

The information below is from the National Arbor Day Foundation.  This information can be viewed in the original (source) form by visiting The National Arbor Day Foundation at http://www.arborday.org.

GROWING REQUIREMENTS/RATE
Sun Exposure:  This catalpa does well in Partial shade to full sun
Soil Type:  prefers deep, moist, fertile, well-drained. acidic, slightly alkaline, clay, loamy, moist, sandy wide range of soils; is drought tolerant.
Growth Rate: Medium to fast

Hardiness Zones: 4 - 8
This catalpa can be expected to grow in the zones shown in color in the arborday.org zone map.