Handbook of Trees of the ISTortheen States and Canada. 411 



The Paulownia is a beautiful tree, intro- 

 duced into this country from China and Japjn 

 for ornamental purposes, and has become thor- 

 oughly naturalized in localities, where the 

 climate is not too severe. It is wide-spreading 

 in habit of growth, its short thick trunk, some- 

 times 2-3 ft. in diameter, usually dividing 

 within a few feet from the ground into few 

 large branches, which form a wide and often 

 flat-topped open head, if there is sufficient room 

 for lateral development. 



It is a remarkable tree at all seasons of the 

 year. When leafless, in winter, it bears large 

 upright clusters of naked flower-buds, which 

 developed the previous season to open early 

 in the following spring, with the unfolding of 

 the velvety young leaves, and then become so 

 many beautiful pyramids of long bhie flowers. 

 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 summer the tree is at- 

 tractive on account of its big heart-shaped 

 leaves, which cast an abundance of shade. 

 After these fall, in the autumn, 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 then persist 

 and rattle on the leafless branches during the 

 following winter or longer, when they detract 

 somewhat from the ornamental value of the 

 tree unless removed. Such is the yearly pro- 

 gram of the Paulownia in climates south of 

 about the latitude of New York City, which 

 limits the boundary of its naturalization. 

 Farther north its flower-buds usually winter- 

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

 ornamental foliage jjlant as far north as 

 Montreal. For this use it is generally cut 

 back to the ground every yeir, 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. Paulownia impcriaUs S. & Z. 



2. A. W., XII, 288. 



R. For genus see p. 457. 



