Catalpa speciosa
Northern catalpa · also Hardy catalpa, Western catalpa, Cigar tree
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This tree is known for its large, heart-shaped leaves that provide abundant shade. It produces striking white flowers with purple and yellow markings, appearing in showy clusters during late spring. Long, slender seed pods dangle from its branches, and its grayish-brown bark becomes deeply ridged with age.
Where it grows
Trees in each city's inventory, with the share of that city's named trees this species accounts for.
- 7,5101.1%—3.1 in
- 4,8271.6%—3.0 in
- 3,1771.2%—2.0 in
- 2,6010.78%4.9 yr2.0 in
- 1,8850.40%36 yr18 in
- 7590.23%7.0 yr3.1 in
- 2990.64%—2.8 in
- 2100.28%2.8 yr2.4 in
- 1490.13%33 yr15 in
- 1410.19%5.8 yr1.6 in
- 1330.02%—7.0 in
- 1180.14%—4.1 in
- 1060.24%—2.0 in
- 980.05%—22 in
- 670.58%1.2 yr2.4 in
- 540.45%5.8 yr2.0 in
- 220.14%2.5 yr11 in
- 170.07%—28 in
- 90.01%2.3 yr2.0 in
- 60.02%—2.8 in
- 30.00%—5.6 in
- 30.00%——
- 10.00%—2.0 in
- 10.00%—6.3 in
Traits
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Mature height
- 40–60 ft
- Canopy spread
- 20–40 ft
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Blooms
- May, Jun
Trunk diameters across every city: median 3.1 in, mean 8.5 in, 90th percentile 22 in. Measured at breast height, as published by each inventory.
Native range
Terrestrial ecoregions where this species is native. Trees in the dataset mostly stand well outside it.
Temperate Grasslands, Savannas & Shrublands
- Central US forest-grasslands transition
- Central Tallgrass prairie
- Nebraska Sand Hills mixed grasslands
- Northern Tallgrass prairie
Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests
- Mississippi lowland forests
Other Catalpa in the catalogue
7 of the top 2,000 species are in this genus.
