Catalpa Tree

Basically, Catalpa tree belongs to Bignoniaceae vine family. It is often referred with many other names like catawba tree, cigar tree or fish bait tree. It is native to temperate zones of North America, the Caribbean and eastern parts of Asia. There are two well-known species of Catalpa tree. They are: Southern Catalpa (or Catalpa bignonioides) and Northern Catalpa (or Catalpa speciosa). The appearance of both these species of plants are more or less similar except that the leaves, bean pods and flowers of Northern Catalpa is slightly larger than that of Southern Catalpa.

Catalpa Tree Facts

Catalpa is a deciduous tree with a height of 12-18 meters and a width of 6-12 meters. Catalpa trees can be easily identified with their unique leaves and flowers. The Catalpa leaves are large in size which can grow as big as one foot in length and are shaped like a heart. In most varieties, green colored leaves are found where the underside of the leaf have a lighter shade of green as compared to the upper side. However, there are some varieties which have purple and golden color leaves as well.

Catalpa trees bloom in the month of June and July. The flowers are 2 inches long and 3 inches wide. They have white colored petals with yellow blotches and purple dots. The sweet fragrance of these flowers attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Usually, the flowers stay on the tree for a week or two. When the flowers shed, then the ground under the tree gets covered up with white flowers and it appears like snowfall in the summer.

The fruits can be seen in autumn and they look like narrow bean pods. They are brown in color and its size may vary from 8-12 inches. It contains large number of small, flat seeds inside it. The pods remain on the trees throughout the winter. With the onset of spring, seeds within the pods are released and are dispersed by wind to the surrounding areas, from which new Catalpa trees will grow.

Catalpa Tree Care

The best part of Catalpa trees is that they can grow in any condition and on any type of soil. Their basic requirements are full sun and a good moist soil. The soil should have good drainage, as they do not grow in poorly drained soils. The tree is grown by planting its sprouted seeds directly into the soil. Select a proper location in your garden where the soil and light requirements are fulfilled. Prior to sowing the seeds, loosen the soil to about six meters diameter and add nitrogen rich fertilizer to it. Now place a few sprouted seeds four inches deep into the soil. Water the seedling well, so that a strong root can develop. You have to continue to water the tree well, to ensure proper growth.

Side shoots tend to develop from the main trunk of the tree. Sometimes, they die on their own. Others should be trimmed regularly, otherwise the tree will look quite ugly. These trees get infected by Verticillium Wilt, a fungal disease. That can lead to death of the affected parts of the tree. There is no cure for this problem. Removal of the dead parts by pruning and application of nitrogen rich fertilizer help the tree to grow properly. When the tree is young and is well taken care of, it can grow almost two feet every year. Usually, it start blooming at the age of six years. These trees do not grow well indoors.

You should not grow Catalpa trees in your flower garden if any member of your family suffers from seasonal allergies. This is because the pollens of Catalpa flowers often act as allergens. Others should also take some precautions while growing this flowering plants. The roots of Catalpa are quite poisonous in nature and should be handled with care. The seeds should not be consumed as they have mild narcotic content.