Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Lamiids: Lamiales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Catalpa speciosa
FAMILY
Bignoniaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Northern Catalpa at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Catalpa speciosa
FAMILY
Bignoniaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Catalpa speciosa
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 167-03-002:
Catalpa speciosa FAMILY Bignoniaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Catalpa speciosa
COMMON NAME:
Northern Catalpa, Indian Cigar Tree, Catawba Tree
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905) mtna_i_904
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_casp8_001_lvd
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_casp8_013_lvd
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_c_speciosa_bc_11
January
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_c_speciosa_bc_11106_1
January
Bark ridged or deeply fissured; not as scaly as in C. bignonioides, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_c_speciosa_bc_11106_7
January
)
JK Marlow jkm190509_8281
May Spartanburg County SC
Corolla 4-6cm wide, the lower lobe sparsely spotted with purple, notched, per Weakley's Flora.
)
JK Marlow jkm190509_8282
May Spartanburg County SC
Fresh foliage essentially odorless; leaves long-acuminate, per Weakley's Flora.
)
JK Marlow jkm190509_8284
May Spartanburg County SC
Leaves pubescent beneath, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm190509_8286
May Spartanburg County SC
)
)
JK Marlow jkm090808_052
August Floyd County GA
Berry College
Capsules 23-60cm long, 10-20mm diameter, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
COMPARE
fruit of Catalpa species
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Catalpa speciosa
FAMILY
Bignoniaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Catalpa speciosa
FAMILY
Bignoniaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Catalpa speciosa
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 167-03-002:
Catalpa speciosa
FAMILY
Bignoniaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Catalpa speciosa
290
Tree
Perennial
Habitat: Bottomland forests, stream banks, and mesic upland forests (as a native), also old fields, roadsides, moist disturbed areas, suburban woodlands, eastwards of its native range escaped or persistent after cultivation, and sometimes thoroughly naturalized, per Weakley's Flora
Native: west of Carolinas & Georgia, early naturalized in a more widespread area
Uncommon in Carolina Mountains & NC Piedmont (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Opposite or rarely whorled
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
White,
lower lobe sparsely spotted with purple
Bilaterally symmetrical
5-merous
2-lobed calyx
2-lipped corolla
2 fertile stamens
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p385
- Identifying Trees: An All-Season Guide to Eastern North America (Williams, 2007) p174
- Landscaping with Native Trees (Sternberg & Wilson, 1995) p078
- Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants p039
- Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988) p099
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p230
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance) p17
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p094
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
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Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".
Or try alternate spellings: If "wooly" doesn't work, try "woolly" or just "wool".