Catalpa 833 



I. THE CATALPAS 



GENUS CATALPA SCOPOLI 



iJATALPA consists of about 7 species of trees or shrubs native in Asia 

 and North America. They are of considerable value as timber trees 

 and their bitter bark has been in repute as a remedy for fevers. 

 They are much used and admired as ornamental shade trees. 

 The leaves are opposite, or whorled, long-stalked, deciduous, membranous, 

 simple, without stipules and of a disagreeable odor when bruised. The large 

 showy flowers are usually white and mottled, borne in terminal panicles or 

 corymbs. The calyx is closed in the bud, broadly 2-lobed; corolla oblique, 2- 

 lipped, the upper lip 2-lobed, the lower 3-lobed; there are 2 perfect stamens, 

 adnate to the base of the corolla and accompanied by three small staminodes; sta- 

 mens included or exserted, their filaments thread-like, the anthers facing inward, 

 their sacs diverging; ovary 2-celled, sessile on the thick disk; style filiform, termi- 

 nated by 2 stigmas; the ovules are numerous in several rows on the central 

 placenta. The fruit is a pendent, more or less persistent, dry, much elongated, 

 nearly round capsule, splitting into 2 halves and containing many flat papery, 

 winged seeds which are much broader than long. 



The generic name was adapted from the Cherokee Indians' name of the common 

 Catalpa, the type species. Our species are : 



Panicles rather dense, many-flowered; corolla 4 to 5 cm. across; leaves short- 

 acuminate. I. C. Catalpa. 

 Panicles loose, few-flowered; corolla 6 to 8 cm. across; leaves long-acuminate. 2. C. speciosa. 



I . CATALPA — Catalpa Catalpa (Linnaeus) Karsten 

 Bignonia Catalpa Linnaeus. Catalpa bignonioides Walter 



This well-known tree is indigenous on river bottoms in the Gulf States, and 

 has abundantly escaped or become naturalized in the northeast as far as southern 

 New York.' Among the most frequently used of its many common names are: 

 Common catalpa, Cataba, Cataba tree. Cigar tree, Indian cigar tree, Indian bean. 

 Bean tree. Smoking bean, and Candle tree. It attains a maximum height of 20 

 meters, with a trunk diameter of 1.2 m. 



Its trunk is short, widely branched, forming a broad spreading tree. The bark 

 is 6 to 8 mm. thick, separating into large plates of a reddish brown color. The 

 twigs are stout, pithy, green to purpKsh, soon becoming glaucous, thickened at the 

 nodes and bearing the large, roundish leaf scars. The winter buds are lateral, 

 small, globose, the ends of the twigs usually dying back to the first pair of buds. 

 The leaves are opposite or in threes, broadly ovate, i to 3 dm. long, short taper- 

 pointed, rounded or heart-shaped at the base, entire or slightly wavy on the mar- 

 gin, sometimes 3-lobed, light green and quite smooth above, somewhat hairy. 



