287 



what rounded at the base, long taper-pointed at apex, margins entire, 

 dark green and smooth above, pubescent beneath; flowering period 

 May or June; flowers in large terminal panicles, white with yellow and 

 purplish spots within, expanded part about 4 cm. across; fruit a long 

 cylindrical pod which matures late in autumn or early winter, 2-5 dm. 

 long, and about 1.5 cm. in diameter, usually 1 or 2 and rarely 3 pods 

 develop in a panicle, the valves of the pod remaining semi-terete after 

 separating; seed many, thin and papery, 2.5-5 cm. long, and 4-8 mm. 

 wide, body of samara about equals in length the tuft of hairs at each end, 

 the hairs remain separated and are little inclined to form a tuft at the 

 end. 



Distribution. Known to have been a native of the southwestern 

 part of Indiana, and to have followed the valley of the Ohio and Missis- 

 sippi Rivers to the southeastern part of Missouri and the northeastern 

 part of Arkansas. The tree has practically disappeared from the forests 

 of Indiana, and the exact range in Indiana can never be known. Being 

 such a conspicuous tree, it was thought that the memory of living 

 pioneers might be relied upon to fix the limits of its range in Indiana. 

 One pioneer living near Austin in Scott County said it was a native of 

 the Muscatatuck bottoms, and another said it was a native in the flats of 

 the southwestern part of Clark County. In its native habitat it was 

 found only in very low ground, usually with such associates as pin oak, 

 sweet gum, southern hackberry, big shell-bark hickory, pecan, etc. In 

 its native habitat it was an infrequent to a frequent tree, never a common 

 tree. A pioneer was interviewed who settled in the Knox County bot- 

 toms about three miles west of Decker, when the whole area was a virgin 

 forest. He said the catalpa was an occasional tree in the bottoms 

 throughout the area; that he did not recall that it was ever found in as 

 low situations as the cypress; that the tree was as tall as its associates, 

 straight, and usually about 6 dm. in diameter, and that he never saw a 

 tree a meter in diameter; that on account of the durable quality of 

 the wood that it was cut for fence posts and rails. A pioneer who 

 lived near the mouth of Deer Creek in Perry County said it was a native 

 in his vicinity. The information at hand would fix the mass distribution 

 of the species to the southwest of a line drawn from Terre Haute to a 

 point about 6 miles east of Grandview in Spencer County. 



Remarks/ Attention was directed to this tree about 1880 by Dr. 

 Jno. A. Warder and Dr. Geo. Engelmann, and it has had enthusiastic 

 admirers ever since. In Indiana its most enthusiastic advocate was 

 John P. Brown of Connersville. Its popularity was based upon the 

 durability of its wood and its rapid growth. Nurserymen grew seedlings 

 and through their agents plantations of all sizes were sold in many 



