272 PRACTICAL ARBORICULT ORE 
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 ‘nches in length, and a hali 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. 
