Catalpa bignonioides

Species of tree

Catalpa bignonioides is a short lived species of Catalpa that is native to the southeastern United States in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Common names include southern catalpa, cigartree, and Indian bean tree (or Indian bean tree).

Catalpa bignonioides is a deciduous tree growing to tall with an equal or greater spread, with a trunk up to diameter, with brown to gray bark, maturing into hard plates or ridges. The short thick trunk supports long and straggling branches which form a broad and irregular head. The roots are fibrous and branches are brittle, its juices are watery and bitter tasting. The leaves are large, bright green and heart shaped, being long and broad. They appear late, and as they are full grown before the flower clusters open, they add much to the beauty of the blossoming tree. They secrete nectar, a most unusual characteristic for leaves, by means of groups of tiny glands in the axils of the primary veins. This is an example of a tree exhibiting a symbiotic relationship with nearby insects.

In the USA, Catalpa bignonioides is undoubtedly a Southern tree. Europeans first observed the tree growing in the fields of the Cherokee Native American tribes. However, it can flourish in the North as well, and accordingly its original range is somewhat in doubt. as has the gold leafed cultivar C. bignonioides 'Aurea'. The purple leaved hybrid Catalpa × erubescens 'Purpurea' syn. C. bignonioides 'Purpurea', has also achieved the award (confirmed 2017). It prefers moist soil and full sun. It is easily raised from seeds which germinate early in the first season. It also multiplies readily from cuttings. The tree is fairly free from fungal diseases and has few insect enemies. These caterpillars have a longstanding ecological relationship with the tree, and may defoliate a tree three or more times in a summer without killing it. Fishing enthusiasts prize the caterpillars as bait, particularly for catfish, and may freeze them for months after collecting them in the spring. It is one of two parents of the intergeneric hybrid tree × Chitalpa tashkentensis. The other parent is Chilopsis linearis. The cross was done by a Russian scientist in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The hybrid is sterile and at least two crosses exist, 'White Cloud' and 'Pink Dawn'.

The genus was common in Europe during the Tertiary period. In North America its fossil remains have been discovered in the Miocene rocks of the Yellowstone River.