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. fargesii – From open mountainous areas of Western China this species grows to 60′ feet tall. The wide leaves, taper to a fine point aqnd bronze when young. Its rosy-pink flowers are marked with yellow and purple and arise in dense clusters during summer. The very slender seed pods that follow can grow as much as 30″ long.
Zones 5-10
