Description
Catalpa – Indian Bean Tree –
There are about 11 species of fast growing, deciduous small to medium trees, in this genus. They occur in Eastern Asia, North America, and Cuba on riverbanks and in woodland. Their large ovate leaves are opposite or in whorls of 3. Catalpa are grown for their showy foliage, for their large, bell shaped, 2 lipped flowers, held in upright, terminal panicles or racemes in mid and late summer, and for their pendent, bean like, up to 30″ long, narrowly cylindrical seed pods, which develop in autumn. Their wide spreading habit and conspicuous flower panicles are seen to best advantage when they are grown as specimen trees. Those with colored foliage are also effective in a large shrub border, if pollarded or coppiced annually or biennially, they produce large ornamental leaves. Some species yield valuable timber.
Grow in fertile, moist but well drained soil in full sun, sheltered from strong winds.
Prone to powdery mildew, white rot, dieback, leaf spots, anthracnose, mealy bugs, whiteflies, scale insects, and aphids.
C. bignonioides ‘Aurea’ – Bean Tree – Southern Catalpa – This spreading to rounded crown tree grows 30′ feet tall and wide. It produces broadly ovate, smooth edged, lime yellow foliage that’s bronze when young, heart shaped at the bases, and to 10″ long, and taper to a fine point with downy undersides and turn black before dropping in fall. Leaves have an unpleasant smell when crushed. It bears white flowers, with frilled edges, to 2″ across, marked with yellow and purple-brown spots on their lips, held in upright panicles, 8-12″ tall. They are followed by slender pods to 16″ long.
Zones 5-10
