BIGNONIACEAE - - Bignonia Family

Catalpa speciosa Walter — Northern Catalpa

Northern Catalpa (Catalpa speciosa) - This tree is similiar to C. bignonioides but usually taller with a well defined single trunk and less lower, heavy, branching. Best separating characteristics are the flowers and fruit. The flowers are less numerous in each cluster but larger than Southern Catalpa. The central portion of each flower are mostly purple striped, not purple dotted as in C. bignonioides and with lower petal notched. Fruit capsule is thicker and straighter and less twisted. Seeds have multiple fringes on each end, not matted into one or two points.

Habitat:

Bottomlands and river banks (as a native), also escaped or persistent after cultivation, and sometimes thoroughly naturalized. Apparently native in the upper Mississippi River Embayment of s. IN and s. IL, south to w. TN and e. AR; early naturalized in a more widespread area.

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

Other Information:

Northern Catalpa is native to southern Indiana, Illinois, western Tennessee and Arkansas, but has been thoroughly naturalized in a much wider range, including here in Georgia. The leaves of C. speciosa are not fetid and the tips are long acuminate. The flowers are in sparsely flowered clusters; the lower corolla petal is not densely spotted with purple, and is notched. The individual flowers are slightly larger than C. bignonioides and are more purple striped than spotted. The fruit pod is larger, 10-15 mm. thick; with seed tips terminating in wings that are matted in 1-plane thus forming a flattish fringe. Bole of tree, branching higher, mostly rigidly upright, with one or more relatively straight branches.

The native range of Catalpa speciosa (Northern 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 native range of Catalpa speciosa (Northern 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/.