Catalpa bignonioides
Walt.
Family
-
Bignoniaceae
Stems
- Woody. A tree to 15m tall, single trunk to 1m in diameter.
Leaves
- Opposite or whorled (3 at a node), long petiolate, to 25cm long, 18cm wide, typically ovate to cordate, sometimes shallowly 3-lobed, especially when young, acute, pubescent below, sparsely pubescent to glabrescent above.
Young leaf.
Inflorescence
- Terminal panicle to +20cm tall.
Flowers
- Tubular, to 2cm broad. Corolla white outside, purple and yellow spotted inside, wrinkled, lower petals not notched at tip.
Fruits
- An elongate capsule to 35cm long, 1cm in diameter. Seeds flattened, with coma.
Flowering
- May - June.
Habitat
- Cultivated, rarely escaped along streambanks, roadsides, railroads.
Origin
- Native to small portion of extreme southeastern U.S.
Other info.
- This species is sometimes very difficult to tell from the next species
C. speciosa
but typically has smaller flowers and fruits than the latter. Some botanists think the two are synonymous.
C. bignonioides
is planted as an ornamental and is less common in this state than
C. speciosa
.
Photograph taken at the Kansas City Zoo, 6-8-99.
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