Паулония томентоза: быстрорастущее дерево и инвазивный вид.

Species of deciduous tree classified in its own family

Paulownia tomentosa, common names princess tree, empress tree, or foxglove tree, is a deciduous hardwood tree in the family Paulowniaceae, native to central and western China. It is an extremely fast growing tree with seeds that disperse readily, and is a persistent exotic invasive species in North America, where it has undergone naturalisation in large areas of the Eastern US. P. tomentosa has also been introduced to Western and Central Europe, and is establishing itself as a naturalised species there as well.

The generic name Paulownia honours Anna Pavlovna of Russia, who was Queen Consort of the Netherlands from 1840 to 1849. The specific epithet tomentosa is a Latin word meaning 'covered in hairs'.

This tree grows tall, with large heart shaped to five lobed leaves across, arranged in opposite pairs on the stem. On young growth, the leaves may be in whorls of three and be much bigger than the leaves on more mature growth. The leaves can be mistaken for those of the catalpa. The very fragrant flowers, large and violet blue in colour are produced before the leaves in early spring, on panicles long, with a tubular purple corolla long resembling a foxglove flower. The fruit is a dry egg shaped capsule long, containing numerous tiny seeds. The seeds are winged and disperse by wind and water. Pollarded trees do not produce flowers, as these form only on mature wood. Paulownia tomentosa requires full sun for proper growth. It is tolerant of pollution and can tolerate many soil types. It can also grow from small cracks in pavements and walls. Paulownia can survive wildfires because the roots can regenerate new, very fast growing stems. P. tomentosa is drought resistant and thrives in barren soil, particularly suitable for cold and arid regions. Its main trunk is short, and its growth rate is relatively slow.

In August 2021 the EPPO added P. tomentosa to its Alert List, not due to any particular known problem within Europe, but as a step to begin assessing whether it should be regarded as a problematic invader. Because of its tolerance and flexibility, Paulownia functions ecologically as a pioneer plant. Its nitrogen rich leaves provide good fodder and its roots prevent soil erosion. Eventually, Paulownia is succeeded by taller trees that shade it and in whose shade it cannot thrive. In Japan, it is customary to plant seeds of the tree when a couple has a daughter; it is said that by the time the daughter is in her older teens or at the peak of adulthood when she is ready to marry, the tree by this time has also grown to maturity, which is then felled and made into a tansu dresser as a wedding gift. P. tomentosa has been suggested as a plant to use in carbon capture projects. P. tomentosa has large leaves that readily absorb pollutants, and also has value in timber and aesthetics, adding to interest surrounding its use in carbon capture. Inaccurate citation practices have led to circulating claims that P. tomentosa performs C4 carbon fixation, a trait rare among trees. However, this species does not fulfill the experimental criteria necessary to demonstrate C4 photosynthesis.

Some geranyl flavonoids can be found in P. tomentosa. Verbascoside can also be produced in hairy roots cultures of P. tomentosa.