272 PRACTICAL ARBORICULTURE 



in the same locality, yet late blossoms of this variety are prolonged until 

 flowers of other sorts have opened. Sometimes favorable locations advance 

 the blooming period of the inferior trees, while in unprotected spots, not far dis- 

 tant speciosa may be retarded so that all flower at the same time. 



Notice the comparative size of the individual flowers. There is not a 

 great difference in depth of color in the markings of the flowers but the in- 

 ferior sorts have a narrow white margin, while speciosa has a broad border 

 of pure white, which lightens the color effect. 



4. Examine the seed pods. For some reason while speciosa produces 

 as large a cluster of flowers as other varieties, only one or two pods are devel- 

 oped, and these are from fourteen to eighteen inches long and three-fourths 

 of an inch thick. 



SPURIOUS CATALPA SEED SOLD FOR SPECIOSA 



Bignonoides, the southern form, produces from, four to six pods to each 

 cluster. These are from six to eight inches in length, and a half inch in 

 thickness. Pure oriental catalpas have from eight to twenty pods. 



5. Next observe the seed as it is being gathered. Speciosa seed has a 

 broad pencil of filaments at each end. In the inferior varieties these filaments 

 are drawn to a point and sometimes twisted. 



The ease and rapidity with which seed may be collected from low, 

 spreading trees, together with the enormous quantity of seed produced by the 

 worthless varieties and hybrids, sorely tempt unscrupulous persons to gather 

 them, and many thousand pounds of such seed have been distributed throughout 

 America to the serious injury of planters, who are thus inclined to condemn the 

 catalpa without knowing the tree. 



