Photo: Mark Wagner, CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
Northern Catalpa
Catalpa speciosa
Also called western catalpa, hardy catalpa, cigar tree.
Orchid-like white flowers in June, giant heart-shaped leaves and a tolerance for almost any soil.
Showy flowersWildlife valueDrought tolerantTolerates wet soil
- Type
- Large tree
- Mature height
- 40–70 ft
- USDA zones
- 4–8
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Sun
- Full · Part
- Soil moisture
- Dry · Average · Wet
210
Catalpa is the tree grandparents planted and landscapers forgot. It blooms when little else does, hosts the catalpa sphinx moth, and thrives in wet clay, dry gravel and city air alike. The long seed pods and big leaves make litter, so keep it away from patios, but on a large lot it is fast, tough and beautiful.
Heights and zones are typical ranges for the species in cultivation; local conditions and seed source shift them. Estimate growth for this species →
More like this
