Handbook of Trees of the Noetiieen States 



AND Canada. 



411 



The Paulownia is a beautiful tree, intro- 

 duei'J into tiiis c-uiiutry from Cliiiia and Japan 

 for oriuuiientai purposc-s, and has bct'onie tiior- 

 oughly naturalized in localities, where the 

 climate is not too severe. It is wide-spreading 

 in habit of grow tli, its short thick trunk, some- 

 times 2-0 ft. in diameter, usually dividing 

 within a few feet from the ground into few 

 large branches, which form a wide and often 

 fiat-topped open head, if there is sulhcient room 

 for lateral development. 



It is a remarkable tree at all seasons of the 

 year. WheTi lea Hess, in winter, it bears large 

 upriglit clusters of naked ilower-buds, which 

 developed the previous season to open early 

 in tlie following spring, with the unfolding of 

 the velvety young leaves, and then become so 

 many beautiful pyramids of long blue llowers. 

 These are delightfully fragrant, and the whole 

 atmosphere for some distance from the tree is 

 redolent with their perfume; but, alas! their 

 duration is far too short, and the ground 

 within only a day or two is strewn with their 

 withering corollas. In sununer the tree is at- 

 tractive on account of its big heart-shaped 

 leaves, wdiieh cast an abundance of sliadc. 

 After these fall, in the autunm, the clusters of 

 fruit-pods, suggestive of so many miniature 

 bishop's miters, open and liberate to the winds 

 innumerable small filmy-winged seeds. The 

 clusters of empty blackened pods tln'n pci'sist 

 and rattle on the leafless branches during the 

 following winter or longer, when they detract 

 somewhat from the ornamental ^alue of ihe 

 tree unless removed. Sm-li is the yearly ]u-o- 

 gram of the Panlownia in climati^s south i^f 

 about the latitude of Xew ^'ork City, wliich 

 limits the l)Oundary of its naturaliznlion. 

 Farther uortli its flower-buds usually wi)]ter- 

 kill, but it can be and often is grown as an 

 ornamental foliage ]dant as far lao-th as 

 Montreal. For this use it is generally cut 

 back to the ground every year, excepting a 

 single shoot, and this puts out great leaves a 

 foot or two across, and sometimes attains a 

 height of 10 to 12 ft. or more in a single 

 season, presenting a peculiarly tropical ap- 

 pearance. 



The wood of the Paulownia is soft, light, 

 easily worked, yielding a satiny surface, and 

 of a purple brown color with thin sap-wood. 

 It is highly valued in Oriental countries. 2 



1. Syn. l'iuiliiir:iiii iiniivrialis S. & Z. 



2. A. \V., -XII. i'SS. 



-S. For genus sec p. 4.07. 



