﻿Trees of New York Slats 337 



BIGNONIACEAE 



Catalpa bignonioides Walt. [Catalpa Catalpa (L.) Karst.] 



Catalpa, Indian Bean 



Habit — In New York State generally a small tree 20-40 feet in height with 

 a trunk 6-15 inches in diameter, farther south in its natural range occa- 

 sionally 60 feet in height with a trunk diameter of 3-4 feet. Bole short, 

 bearing a high, broad, symmetrical cro-\\Ti consisting of coarse, sparse 

 branches and dense foliage. 



Leaves — Opposite or 3 at a node, broadly ovate, 5-6 inches long, 4-5 inches 

 ■^^dde, acute at the apex, rounded or cordate at the base, entire or some- 

 times laterally lobed, at maturity thin, light green and glabrous above, 

 paler and pubescent below, borne on stout, terete petioles 5-6 inches in 

 length. 



Flowers — Appearing in June and early July after the leaves, perfect, showj, 

 borne on slender pubescent pedicels in terminal, many-flowered, compact 

 panicles 8-10 inches long. Calyx green or purplish, i/^ of an inch long, 

 cleft nearly to the base into 2 broadly ovate, entire lobes. Corolla white 

 spotted vnth. purple, nearly 2 inches long, %vith broad, campanulate, flat 

 tube and spreading 5-lobed limb. Tube marked on the iimer surface of 

 the lower side with 2 rows of yellow blotches following 2 parallel ridges. 

 Stamens 2, slightly exserted, vdth flattened, tmsted filaments and oblong 

 anthers borne vis-a-vis on either side of the stigma. Pistil consisting of a 

 sessile, ovoid, 2-celled ovary, abruptly contracted into an elongate, filiform 

 style bifurcated at the tip into stigmatic lobes which are exserted above 

 the anthers. 



Fruit — A linear, subterete, bright chestnut-bro^^•n capsule, 6-20 inches long, 

 %-% of an inch tliick at the center and tapering toward each end. 

 The capsules are borne in thick-stemmed, persistent panicles and remain 

 closed and persist on the trees until spring, finally splitting into 2 eon- 

 cave valves before falling to set free the seeds. Seeds numerous, oblong, 

 compressed, winged. The wings entirely surround the seed and are pro- 

 duced longitudinally into fringed ends. 



Winter characters — Twigs stout, lustrous or somewhat glaucous, yellowish 

 brown, marked by numerous, large lenticels and raised, circular leaf- 

 sears, usually %\-inter-killing at the tip in New York State. Teitninal bud 

 absent. Lateral buds minute, hemi-spherical, chestnut-browTi, imbedded 

 in the bark, with loosely imbricated bud-scales. Pith large, white, homo- 

 geneous or chambered at the nodes. Mature bark thin, light bro-\vn tinged 

 with red, divided by shallow fissures into large, thin irregular scales. 



Habitat — In New York State an "escape" in rich, moist soils about the 

 habitations of man. in its natural range along stream courses and river 

 banks, more rarely in drier situations. 



Range — Western Georgia and Florida westward through Alabama and Mis- 

 sissippi. Now extensively propagated in all parts of the United States 

 east of the Rocky Mountains and hardy as far north as central New 

 England. Zones A and B. 



Uses — Wood light, soft, not strong, coarse-grained. ver\' durable in contact 

 with the soil, light brown with narrow, nearly white sapwood. Used for 

 railroad ties, fence posts, poles, etc. Extensively propagated for orna- 

 ment in the parks and gardens of the eastern United States and in 

 Europe. 



