Reiman’s Pick
For the Week of August 3, 2009
Catalpa speciosa: Northern Catalpa, Cigar Tree or Indian-bean
Kyler Sheets
Outdoor Horticulture Intern
Reiman Gardens, Iowa State University
The name Catalpa originates from the word Catawba, the name of a southeastern Native American tribe. Botanist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli accidentally coined the scientific name for this tree, Catalpa, instead of Catawba due to a transcription error. According to the rules of botanical naming, the first spelling of the formal scientific description has to remain the scientific name and this name stands today.
The common name of the Catalpa is the Cigar Tree, from the bean-like pods that are present in autumn. A highly underused wood, the Catalpa has the lowest shrinkage and expansion rate of any domestic hardwood and has been used to make totem poles, canoes, furniture, interior trim and cabinetry. Being the primary source of food for the Catalpa Sphinx moth (Ceratomia catalpae) some anglers plant these trees around private ponds and use the “catawba-worms” as live bait.
Northern Catalpa (Catalpa speciosa) is a 75-100 ft tall deciduous tree. Belonging to the Bignoniaceae family, the Northern Catalpa is closely related to the Trumpet Creeper vine. It has grayish to reddish-brown bark that forms thick scales. The large heart-shaped leaves of this plant are about 12 inches long to eight-inches wide with eight-inch long petioles. The Northern Catalpa blooms in clusters of showy two-inch white bell-shaped flowers with yellow streaks and purple spots inside the petals. The fruit is a bean-like pod with many small flat seeds inside. Each seed has two thin wings for wind dispersal. The pods grow up to 18 inches in length and about half an inch in width. Persisting through winter, some say these pods resemble brown icicles.
The Northern Catalpa is winter hardy in Iowa, but is native from Illinois and Indiana south to Arkansas and Tennessee. This tree can grow in most of Northern America, but it does best in moist, high pH, coarse to medium textured soils in full sun. Northern Catalpa does not tolerate shade, but they seem to tolerate some drought. These trees are widely grown for the ornamental value and long lifespan. Being one of the last trees to put on foliage in the spring they provide much needed shade and weather protection for our feathered friends.
To experience the beautiful flowers of the Northern Catalpa, visit a grouping at the end of June at Iowa State University’s Reiman Gardens. You’ll find them due east of the Mahlstede Building. And while you are there - take some time to smell the roses.
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