The Catalpa -Catalpa catalpa. Catalpa bignomoides 
/ T'HE Catalpa is one of the few trees which 
rivals the horse-chestnut in glorious 
beauty during the period of blossoming. The 
great panicles of showy flowers borne on the 
ends of the branches against the leafy back¬ 
ground of the newly developed foliage render 
the tree one of the most conspicuous objects 
in the landscape and serve to attract the 
attention of the most indifferent human 
observer as well as the eager presence of 
swarms of bumble-bees and other insects 
which cross-pollenize the flowers in return for 
the nectar and pollen. 
The flowers are soon succeeded by the 
slender, thin-walled pods which slowly mature 
through the summer until autumn, when 
the leaves fall off. 1 hey reach a length 
of eight to twelve inches and serve as a ready 
means of identifying the tree during late 
autumn and early winter, as they hang from 
the tips of the smaller twigs. 
Two distinct species of Catalpa are recog¬ 
nized by the best authorities. T he Eastern 
Catalpa, as it is called, is the species repre¬ 
sented on the plate. It has slender pods with 
thin walls and the tips of the leaf are short- 
pointed; the inside of the flower is thickly 
spotted with reddish dots and the lower lobe 
is generally entire. The technical name of 
this species is Catalpa catalpa. 1 he Western 
Catalpa has stout pods with thick walls and 
the tip of the leaf is long-pointed; the inside of 
the flower is not thickly spotted with colored 
dots and the lower lobe of the corolla is 
generally notched at the tip. The technical 
name of this species is Catalpa speciosa. The 
distinctions between these trees are not always 
easily made out by the amateur, as there is 
great variability in the special characters 
above mentioned. 
The Catalpa is an extremely valuable tree 
for ornamental planting as well as for forestry 
purposes. During the last fifty years the 
Western Catalpa has been largely utilized 
in the middle West for the latter purpose 
and has proven a profitable crop. The 
tree is handsome at any season of the year, 
grows rapidly, is quite free from insects 
and fungus enemies and may be obtained 
in quantities from nurserymen. 
