BIGNONIACEAE - - Bignonia Family

Catalpa bignonioides Walter — Southern Catalpa

Southern Catalpa, Indianbean (Catalpa bignonioides) - A medium-sized tree, rarely becoming 60' in height, with a short bole 2' to 4' in diameter, separating into several oblique, heavy, brittle branches, forming a broad, rounded, open crown. See below for separating leaf and flower characteristics.

Habitat:

Bottomlands and streambanks (as a native), escaped or persistent after cultivation, early naturalized in a more widespread area, and now extending north to CT and MI.

Habitat information from:
Weakley, Alan S., Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States, Working Draft of 21 May 2015.

Separating Characteristics:

There are two species of Catalpa common to our area and, in my opinion, pretty difficult to separate. Both have opposite or whorled leaves, Southern Catalpa's leaves are fetid, tips are obtuse to abruptly acuminate. The flowers are in dense, many-flowered clusters; lower corolla petal densely spotted with purple, not notched. Flowers slightly smaller than C. speciosa and mostly purple spotted, not so much purple striped. Fruit pod slightly smaller, 6-10 mm. thick; seed tips terminating in wings that are matted in 2-planes making them pointed. Bole of the tree usually branching low and not rigidly upright, more likely to be spreading or decumbent.

The native range of Catalpa bignonioides (Southern Catalpa)

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2015. North American Plant Atlas. (http://bonap.net/napa). Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2015. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press)].

The Georgia range of Catalpa bignonioides (Southern Catalpa)

Zomlefer, W.B., J.R. Carter, & D.E. Giannasi. 2014 (and ongoing). The Atlas of Georgia Plants. University of Georgia Herbarium (Athens, Georgia) and Valdosta State University Herbarium (Valdosta, Georgia). Available at: http://www.georgiaherbaria.org/.