"Growing Online"tm

 

 

   

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