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Plant Guide

Catalpa bignonioides Walt.
southern catalpa
CABI8

Summary

Duration

Perennial

Growth Habit

Tree

U.S. Nativity

Native to U.S.

Federal T/E Status

 

National Wetland Indicator

UPL, FAC-

 

Morphology/Physiology

Active Growth Period

Spring

After Harvest Regrowth Rate

 

Bloat

None

C:N Ratio

 

Coppice Potential

No

Fall Conspicuous

No

Fire Resistant

No

Flower Color

White

Flower Conspicuous

Yes

Foliage Color

Green

Foliage Porosity Summer

Dense

Foliage Porosity Winter

Porous

Foliage Texture

Coarse

Fruit/Seed Color

Green

Fruit/Seed Conspicuous

Yes

Growth Form

Single Crown

Growth Rate

Rapid

Height at 20 Years, Maximum (feet)

66

Height, Mature (feet)

66

Known Allelopath

No

Leaf Retention

No

Lifespan

Long

Low Growing Grass

No

Nitrogen Fixation

 

Resprout Ability

Yes

Shape and Orientation

Erect

Toxicity

None

 

Growth Requirements

Adapted to Coarse Textured Soils

Yes

Adapted to Fine Textured Soils

No

Adapted to Medium Textured Soils

Yes

Anaerobic Tolerance

None

CaCO3 Tolerance

Medium

Cold Stratification Required

No

Drought Tolerance

Medium

Fertility Requirement

Medium

Fire Tolerance

None

Frost Free Days, Minimum

140

Hedge Tolerance

Low

Moisture Use

Low

pH, Minimum

5.5

pH, Maximum

7.5

Planting Density per Acre, Minimum

170

Planting Density per Acre, Maximum

700

Precipitation, Minimum

30

Precipitation, Maximum

65

Root Depth, Minimum (inches)

36

Salinity Tolerance

None

Shade Tolerance

Intermediate

Temperature, Minimum (°F)

-18

 

Reproduction

Bloom Period

Mid Spring

Commercial Availability

Routinely Available

Fruit/Seed Abundance

Medium

Fruit/Seed Period Begin

Summer

Fruit/Seed Period End

Summer

Fruit/Seed Persistence

Yes

Propagated by Bare Root

Yes

Propagated by Bulb

No

Propagated by Container

Yes

Propagated by Corm

No

Propagated by Cuttings

No

Propagated by Seed

Yes

Propagated by Sod

No

Propagated by Sprigs

No

Propagated by Tubers

No

Seed per Pound

20480

Seed Spread Rate

Slow

Seedling Vigor

Medium

Small Grain

No

Vegetative Spread Rate

None

 

Suitability/Use

Berry/Nut/Seed Product

No

Christmas Tree Product

No

Fodder Product

No

Fuelwood Product

Medium

Lumber Product

No

Naval Store Product

No

Nursery Stock Product

Yes

Palatable Browse Animal

Medium

Palatable Graze Animal

Medium

Palatable Human

No

Post Product

Yes

Protein Potential

 

Pulpwood Product

No

Veneer Product

No

 

Kingdom  Plantae -- Plants

Subkingdom  Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants

Superdivision  Spermatophyta -- Seed plants

Division  Magnoliophyta -- Flowering plants

Class  Magnoliopsida -- Dicotyledons

Subclass  Asteridae

Order  Scrophulariales

Family  Bignoniaceae -- Trumpet-creeper family

Genus  Catalpa Scop. -- catalpa P

Species  Catalpa bignonioides Walt. -- southern catalpa P

 

Alternate Names

Catalpa, katalpa, American catalpa, eastern catalpa, catawba, bean tree, Indian bean, Indian cigar tree, Shawnee wood, caterpillar tree, worm tree, fish bait tree, fisherman’s tree.

 

Uses

Southern catalpa is primarily used today as a large ornamental shade tree.  It is widely planted in urban areas as a street and lawn tree.  Conservation uses include being planted in windbreaks.  Some plant it to attract the catalpa worm, which are harvested and used as fish bait.

 

Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status (e.g. threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

 

Weediness

This plant may become weedy or invasive in some regions or habitats and may displace desirable vegetation if not properly managed. Please consult with your local NRCS Field Office, Cooperative Extension Service office, or state natural resource or agriculture department regarding its status and use.  Weed information is also available from the PLANTS Web site at plants.usda.gov.

 

Description and Adaptation

Trumpet-creeper Family (Bignoniaceae).  It is a perennial deciduous tree which readily grows in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 9.  This is a U.S. native.  At maturity, the height can vary from about 25 to 40 feet.  Catalpas prefer moist, deep, well drained soil, but adapts to dry or wet soils.  The soil pH may range from 5.5 to 7.0.  It prefers an open sunny space to partial shade.   The crown is often forked.  Its longevity is about 40 to 50 years.

 

The tree bark is separated into irregular shallow fissures with reddish-brown scales.  On young tree seedlings the bark is thin and easily damaged by impact, or rodents.

 

Twigs in winter have a unique identifying characteristic.  They have sunken leaf scars which resemble suction cups.  Their whorled arrangement of 3 “moon crater” scars per node is another trait easily identified.  They are grayish-brown in color.

 

Leaves are simple, may be opposite or whorled (3 per node), pinnately veined, 5 to 12 inches long , 4 to 6 inches broad, heart shaped at the base, and have a long petiole with entire margins and soft pubescence on the underside, which is also a lighter green than the top surface.

 

The flowers of catalpa are perfect.  Flowering takes place from May through July.  They occur in bell-shaped corollas of 5 lobes.   Individual flowers are showy, with the 5 petals in each flower being unequal in size, white with purple spots and orange stripes at the throat, in branched, upright clusters.  The petals are up to 1.5 inches long.

 

Seedpods are slender and green in the summer growing from 6 to 24 inches long, and ½ inch wide looking ‘cigarlike’.  They mature in the autumn, turn brown, split open lengthwise to let seeds fall in the spring.  The seedpod generally stays attached to the tree limb over winter.

It was first cultivated in 1726.  It was originally found in the Gulf Coast states of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.  It has since spread to many  states east of  the Rocky Mountains. 

 

Establishment

When placed as an ornamental in a yard setting care must be taken to ensure it is not too close to a building, fence, property line or septic system.  Ample space should be provided to let it reach a mature height.

 

Management

The biggest management problems with a catalpa tree used as an ornamental are litter and smell.  It will drop a heavy load of flowers in the spring, then a plentiful supply of leaves in the fall, and finally a lot of large seedpods in the winter.  Green leaves give off a disagreeable odor when crushed.

 

Pests and Potential Problems

Larva of the catalpa sphinx caterpillar (Ceratomia catalpae) eats leaves.  Almost complete defoliation may occur in some years. 

 

Verticillum wilt will make the branches die, and can eventually kill trees.   Powdery mildew causes a white powdery coating on the leaves.  When severe the leaves turn yellow and drop. 

 

Environmental Concerns

It is an invasive, weedy tree which escapes cultivation easily.  The flowers, long seedpods and seeds fall down from spring through winter, and create a mess on the ground anywhere near the tree.

 

Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

There are two species of catalpa native to North America, northern catalpa (Catalpa speciosa) and southern catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides).  They appear very similar but are two distinct species. Two varieties of C. bignonioides have been documented: ‘Aurea’ and a dwarf variety named ‘Nana’.

 

Control

Please contact your local agricultural extension specialist or county weed specialist to learn what works best in your area and how to use it safely.  Always read label and safety instructions for each control method. Trade names and control measures appear in this document only to provide specific information.  USDA, NRCS does not guarantee or warranty the products and control methods named, and other products may be equally effective.

 

Prepared By:

Dr. Wayne A. Geyer

Kansas State University Forestry Division

Manhattan, Kansas

 

Patrick J. Broyles

USDA NRCS Manhattan Plant Materials Center Manhattan, Kansas

 

Species Coordinator:

Patrick J. Broyles

USDA NRCS Manhattan Plant Materials Center Manhattan, Kansas

 

Edited: 27June05 rln; 01jun06 jsp

 

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS Web site<https://plants.usda.gov> or the Plant Materials Program Web site <https://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov>


 

 

 

Attribution:  U.S. Department of Agriculture 

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