lOO 



ARBORICULTURE 



THE CATALPA TREE— ITS IMPORTANCE IN 

 COMMERCE. 



Catalpa wood has so many excellent 

 qualities to commend it for railway uses 

 that a third edition of this pamphlet has 

 been prepared. 



Catalpa. the name given by the Abori- 

 gines. There are at least two varieties 

 indigenous to the United States, and 

 others from Asia. 



Catalpa Speciosa. Warder. A large 

 tree, 60 to 80 feet high, becoming from 

 2 to 7 feet in diameter, indigenous to the 

 lower valley of tlie Wabash river in In- 

 diana and Illinois, seemingly preferring 

 the overflowed alluvial lands. lAs fresh- 

 ets occurred the seed pods were distrib- 

 uted along the Ohio and Mississippi 

 Rivers, forming limited groves in Ten- 

 nessee and Missouri. Unlike tree species 

 which have edible nuts or fruits, although 

 its seeds are winged, the distribution of 

 the Catalpa speciosa was not aided by 

 birds or animals, being almost entirely 

 scattered down stream by water. 



The beauty of the flowers, quick 

 growth of the tree, 'admirable shade and 

 the extreme durability of the wood, have 

 combined to cause the dissemination of 

 the Catalpa to all portions of the United 

 States. It has proven to be hardy south 

 of lat. 44, and also capable of adjusting 

 itself to the soils, location and conditions 

 within the above limit. 



In CaHfornia, Nevada and Utah, and 

 upon the sandy semi-arid plains of the 

 \Vest, it has been grown successfully, and 

 promises even there to be a profitable in- 

 vestment under irrigation. 



The flowers are large, two inches m 

 diameter, and two weeks earlier than the 

 variety from the South, which is de- 

 scribed elsewhere. 



The tree has a naturally upright habit. 

 The bark is deeply furrowed, somewhat 

 like an ash, the ridges extending up and 

 down the trunk. Leaves are heart- 

 shaped, large and never have more than 

 one apex. .Seed pods thick, heavy, twelve 

 to fourteen inches long, three-fourths of 

 an inch in diameter. Seed is winged, and 

 while quite different from other catalpas, 

 can with difficulty be distinguished when 

 mixed with other varieties. 



Bignonoides, common in all Southern 



States and cultivated in most states of the 

 'North. This tree is of small growth, 

 crooked, and seldom forming a well- 

 shaped tree. Prof. Austin C. Apgar, in 

 1 recs of the Northern United States, 

 describes the flowers as much spotted 

 with yellow and purple, the lower lobe 

 entire, pod thin, while speciosa has flow- 

 ers two inches long, nearly white, faintly 

 spotted, the lower lobe notched, pod 

 thick. 



Unfortunately a large majority of Ca- 

 talpa trees in the United States are of 

 this worthless variety, and it is of great- 

 est importance the large growing tree 

 should be secured. 



The habit of this tree is spreading ; 

 flowers smaller than speciosa ; pods thin- 

 ner and of less diameter ; bark is broken 

 into scales, much resembling wild cherry ; 

 seed easily gathered by inexperienced 

 persons, which has caused it to be largely 

 disseminated. Many leaves are three 

 pointed. There are many hybrids, all of 

 which are inferior to speciosa for forest 

 growing. 



hybrids of catalpa. 



The difiference in time of blossoming 

 of the American Catalpas, speciosa usu- 

 ally blooming two weeks before big- 

 nonoides, has caused some high authori- 

 ties to think there could be no hybrids. 

 But there are innumerable mixtures, 

 some partaking more of the habit of one 

 parent than the other — some closely re- 

 semble speciosa, others follow after big- 

 nonoides, or Kempfcri, if the latter has 

 been planted near. 



On the old Harrison homestead at 

 North Bend, Ohio, in the spring of 1901, 

 I found one tree of Kempferi and many 

 of lx>th speciosa and bignonoides in 

 bloom on the same day, speciosa being at 

 the close of its season, the others at the 

 beginning of their blossoming period. In- 

 sects were flying from tree to tree, carry- 

 ing pollen. 



Hundreds of smaller trees nearby, now 

 in l)lnoni, had various characteristics of 

 the three forms. 



The rapid disappearance of the Ameri- 

 can forests, the advancing prices of lum- 

 ber, with increasing diflicultics experi- 

 enced in a supply for commercial uses, as 

 well as the struggle among competing 



