I’d like you to meet one of my favorite trees, the Northern Catalpa Tree. Its rich history and botanical legacy are unique and fascinating. This article was originally posted in 2014 and has been updated.
I’m getting to know my backyard neighbors!
As hard as I try, I can’t figure out any way to become the knowledgeable naturalist I want to be except by reaching out to meet my nature neighbors one at a time. Identification is the first step, but when I dig a little deeper to learn more about each of these living creatures, I gain not only knowledge but a deep affection and appreciation for their unique features and their history. Today I want to introduce you to my catalpa tree.
Meet Catalpa speciosa, the Northern Catalpa Tree
Right now, two days away from June, the catalpa tree in my yard is in full bloom, and what a magnificent sight it is! “Thousands of flowers on an old catalpa tree look like a colossal chandelier of bulging, white foxglove-like blooms, spotted inside with purple and yellow,” describes writer Allen Bush, and he’s exactly right. The sweet fragrance rivals that of honeysuckle, and its showy blossoms make the catalpa trees easier to spot than they are any other time of the year. I was amazed today how many catalpa trees I noticed in yards and woods along the highways and byways here in Shenandoah County, Virginia.
Besides the blossoms, the catalpa’s leaves and fruit are also unique. Its leaves are large and often compared to elephants’ ears or large hearts. They can grow up to 12 inches long and eight inches wide, emerging from the branch directly opposite each other. The catalpa fruits are long, hanging pods up to 18 to 20 inches in this species. They’re green early in the summer, but they eventually change to a dull brown, hanging onto the trees through winter until opening in the spring to release their seeds. My lawn-mowing husband says they’re hard on the mower blades, so he tries to rake most of them up before mowing.
This marvelous tree has long been a favorite of mine (but don’t tell the Canada Maple tree, who thinks she’s my favorite. I’m fickle that way.). At 80-90 feet high, it towers over most of the other trees in my yard and must be quite old, because its diameter is four feet and its circumference is over 12-1/2 feet (yes, I dusted off my geometry formulas to figure the diameter from measuring the circumference with a piece of string). This species can grow to 100 feet high, but it averages between 60-80 feet, so I clearly have a marvelous specimen! The largest living catalpa tree in the world was once said to be the one on the grounds of the Capital of the State of Michigan in Lansing. It was planted in the year of its dedication in 1879 and is 60 feet high and seven feet in girth. After first publishing this post, I learned that the catalpa tree in Michigan is no longer the largest on record. Now the largest recorded northern catalpa resides in Indiana, USA with a height of 85 feet, expansion of 81 feet, and a circumference of 920 inches (see Glen Arboretum). I wonder if I should contact someone about seeing if mine might hold a record.
The oldest catalpa tree is thought to be in England. Some sources claim it is a tree in Rochester at the foot of England’s second oldest cathedral (“The Rochester Catalpa”), but others say it’s the specimen in the Minster graveyard of St. Mary’s Butts in the town of Reading, Berkshire. I was unable to corroborate either claim.
A catalpa by any other name…
My tree, it seems, has many nicknames. Many believe the word “catalpa” is a misspelling by an early botanist of “catawba,” the Native American (Seminole) name for the tree, and indeed it is still called a catawba tree, especially in the South. That’s the name my Louisiana-born husband knew when he was growing up. Other names based on its conspicuous fruit/bean include Indian Bean Tree, Cigar Tree, and Cigarette Tree.
What about the worm?
Two other nicknames, Worm Tree and Fish Bait Tree, come from a hungry caterpillar called the Catalpa Sphinx, a.k.a. the catalpa worm, that loves to feed on catalpa foliage. It is greenish-yellow with black lines and markings. These caterpillars are greatly prized as fish bait, and I remember as a child hearing of anglers who paid kids to fill jars with these prized caterpillars or “worms.” I read they can be preserved alive by freezing them in an airtight jar filled with cornmeal or “pickling” them in a jar with corn syrup (see Nix below), but I think I’ll pass on that activity. I don’t recall seeing them on my tree here. Apparently, infestations don’t necessarily occur every year, but when they do, the caterpillars are capable of stripping the tree of its leaves, supposedly without long-term damage to the tree.
Let’s get technical
The catalpa tree is a genus of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae. They’re native to warm temperate regions of North America, the Caribbean, and East Asia.There are two North American species, and the one we have here in Virginia is Catalpa speciosa or Northern Catalpa. The other is Catalpa bignonioides or Southern Catalpa. This tends to be smaller than its northern cousin. Worldwide there are as many as eleven species of catalpa. Its first English notation is thought to have been by Mark Catesby in about 1731 in his book The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands. So there you have it.
I confess to some concern after learning that my catalpa may be close to the end of its life expectancy, but if she has the same longevity as the oldest specimens on record, she’ll still outlast me.
Do you have a catalpa tree in your yard?
My Backyard Nature challenge
I challenge you to select a favorite tree in your yard or neighborhood and get to know it. If you don’t know its identity, ask around. Or take a specimen of the leaf to your nearest Master Gardener, Extension Office, or nursery. Then do a little research, notice its changes over the four seasons, and before you know it, you and your tree will be old friends.
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RESOURCES
Bush, Allen. “In Praise of the Humble Catalpa.” Garden Rant: Uprooting the Garden blog. May 8, 2012.
Catalpa Tree Facts. GardenGuides.com.
“Catalpa.” Wikipedia.
Gladden, John. “The Big Tree contest: Northern Catalpa is subject of annual challenge.” The Medina-Gazette Online, May 10, 2011.
Glen Arboretum (Towson University): “Northern Catalpa.”
Nix, Steve. “The Catalpa Tree and Its Caterpillars.” About.com – Forestry.
Book Review: How To Write Heartfelt Letters To Treasure
I have a catalpa tree in my yard in west central New Hampshire. It has loads of flowers in the spring and a very interesting feature of the tree is that when we have a hard freeze in the fall, all the leave drop off overnight. From fully covered with leaves to completely bare by the morning. We have never seen the leaf fall in over 20 years, so my wife has an outdoor camera recording it tonight to see if she can capture the leaf fall. If it happens…..lots of raking this weekend!!
Yes, you’re so right about how fast those leaves fall but I hadn’t appreciated that it was overnight. If you get any good pictures, please share. My email is elizabethc (at) heartspoken.com. We had a light frost this week but the leaves on our catalpa tree haven’t dropped yet. Thanks so much for sharing the perspective from your part of the world!
I have a catalpa tree, and it is called an Elephant Ear Catalpa. It is about 15 feet wide and 15 feet tall, and is umbrella shaped with large elephant shaped leaves. It does have a few blossom in the spring, but does not make those messy pods. Everyone who sees it wants one! Mine is 20 years old, and I hope it outlives me. I don`t baby it so it gets little care. I live in Reno, Nevada and there are quite a few around here. I have seen the other kind that makes pods here too, but I prefer my umbrella shaped one.
It sounds wonderful, Pat. I’m going to look that up to see a picture. My daughter lives in New Mexico, so the next time I’m there, I’ll ask around and see if they have any there.
Back home in Texas My aunt had one on her property in Spring, Texas that shaded her two story home. I fell in love with the Catalpa from the first moment I saw it.
Today, I’m a DP Texas living in the lovely Flint Hills portion of Kansas. We’ve friends that really are “My kids” (I’m 80) & they recently moved three blocks away from next door. A little over 2 months ago, I called him and said “David you have a four foot catalpa growing smack up against your foundation. They have a very fasting growing and large root system. I’ve always wanted a catalpa, have I your permission to transplant to my yard?”
He came over and transplanted it himself! However, it began to wither and though I fertilized it and babied it, it was rapidly & definitely dying. It was only a week old, yet it was suffering badly. That was when my husband told me that I might as well give up because David had listed numerous reasons to him why the tree could not possibly live! I went out to the front yard and began removing the withered leaves again for the umpteenth time and I said out loud to the tree (and anyone that could hear) In Jesus’ name I break the curse of death off of this tree. You are my tree now & I command you to grow, strong, beautiful, & you are to be completely healthy, growing rapidly in the name of Jesus! That was about 2 months ago and it has had no more dying leaves and is shooting straight up with gorgeous heart shaped leaves. I can hardly wait to see it in bloom in the future!
Oh my goodness, Marge, what a wonderful tribute to the power of prayer! I’m so happy to find someone who shares my reverence for the glorious catalpa tree!
Years ago, I had a record (yes, one of the vinyl ones) all about talking to plants. In God’s great universe, I have no problem believing there is a spiritual connection between all living creatures, including plants and trees.
Thank you so much for sharing your story!
We have a catalpa in our backyard–blooms late June and we are still smelling glorious flowers here right before 4th July! I admit we have never heard of this tree until we bought our house in MA 7 years ago–we’d love to share some pics. We live about 30 min south of Boston.
Esther, I love hearing about other catalpa tree owners — how interesting there is such a seasonal difference between Virginia and Massachusetts. Yes, the fragrance in the air when it’s in bloom is marvelous, isn’t it? Thanks so much for sharing your experience!
A friend dug up a 4-foot catalpa about 8 years ago for me. It has thrived and has become the centerpiece of my garden. It makes a lovely shade. We also have one left of a pair of dwarf catalpas. You’ve probably seen these around our area in the yards of older homes. They look like umbrellas and are not tall like their cousin. They do not bloom. Most of the ones I see seem to be rather old. I read that they were developed so that people with smaller yards who wanted catalpa trees could have them, too. Still, I would have wanted one that blooms.
I’ll bet yours is beautiful, Diane! I had not heard of dwarf catalpas, so I’ll be on the lookout for them. I think I know what you’re referring to, but I had no idea that’s what they were. I agree about preferring ones that bloom! Thanks for sharing this.
What a treat to see that magnificent tree. It may be a Virginia state record tree. Looks like it must be some kind of record. Loved reading the research you did too. We have several small Polonia trees down by the creek at Avenel. Do you have any of those. I feel like they must be cousins as they are so much alike. The Polonia is lavender rather than pink. Wish I could be there to see yours in bloom. Thanks for sending the article. Mary Bev and I read it together. We are currently at the beach and have had glorious weather. “What is so rare as a day in June?”, Love, Aunt Mary
NOTE FROM ELIZABETH: I think she is referring to the Paulownia, Royal Paulownia, or Royal Empress tree which does, indeed, have similar features, including large heart-shaped leaves and a similar blossom. It has its own interesting heritage. If you’re interested in more info, go here: http://forestry.about.com/cs/royalpaulownia/a/r_p_goldroot.htm
Aunt Mary, after you commented about the Paulownia tree, I started looking around here more carefully, and sure enough, there is one on Black Bear Rd. about a half mile from our house. I can’t wait to start paying attention to its changes over the season. Right now, it’s not blooming, but its leaves are very similar to those of the catalpa.
I loved this blog, Elizabeth! I have a beautiful book called “Seeing Trees” by Nancy Ross Hugo with photos by Robert Llewellyn. In addition, there is sometimes a class at John C. Campbell Folk School in NC about identifying trees and keeping a sketchbook of what you see and find. But the photos in the book are truly works of art.
Hi, Vicki — always wonderful to see you pop up and make my day. I’m so excited you shared this book Seeing Trees: Discover the Extraordinary Secrets of Everyday Trees
. That’s a live link if anyone wants to head over to Amazon and get it. It sounds wonderful, and I’ve just ordered it.
Keeping a sketchbook is something I’m going, but not as regularly as I’d like. It absolutely makes you more observant, so I’m going to pull it out again. Thanks for the reminder!
When I got home, I grabbed a small leave cluster from a backyard tree and used the link I shared earlier to identify it – it’s a Green Ash. That was fun! Oh, and I also brought a teensy bug into my apartment that I have released back into the wild.
Good job, Karen! I think the leaves of the Green Ash will turn a lovely yellow in the fall. Keep us posted!
I have lived in my home for 19 years and just today noticed this 5’ tree with beautiful white flowers. Posted a picture on Facebook to ask what it might be. A catalpa I’m curious. Do they grow easily? As I didn’t plant it in my yard. I think it’s awesome this tree had popped up in my yard.
What a delightful discovery, Kristi! The Catalpa is, indeed, fairly hardy and can be grown from seed, but honestly I haven’t seen seedlings in my yard.
Here’s an interesting article with more information: https://dengarden.com/gardening/Catalpa-Tree-Facts-and-Details
Thanks for reading and leaving a comment!
Oh, I’m so glad you wrote this, Elizabeth. I’ve been getting rid of some of my garden books but held on to one on trees. It is THE book on trees…at least for the eastern 2/3 of the country. I used it a lot as a master gardener but now it’s time that someone else get some use out of it. I will bring it to lunch, happy to find it a most fitting home!
Oh my, Esther, I am thrilled and honored to have it, and it will be taken care of in case you ever need it back. Thank you.
What a beautiful tree! I don’t know that I have ever seen one…or if I did, I did not stop to admire it. I have a bunch of trees behind my apartment, along the river bank, but I have no idea what type they are. Which then made me look up “how to identify a tree.” I found this link – http://www.arborday.org/trees/whattree. If I can identify any of them, I will let you know. And, wow, that’s your backyard?
This is a fantastic website, Karen, and the way it keys out a tree identification based on leaf structure is exactly like the little guide that I’ve had for years. Thank you so much for sharing it. Here’s a nice little field guide called What Tree Is That?: A Guide to the More Common Trees Found in North America (Mom’s Choice Awards Recipient)
. And yes, [blush] that is my back yard. It’s why I’m so often inspired to write about nature.