Catalpa Species, Catawba, Cigar Tree, Fish-Bait Tree, Indian Bean Tree, Southern Catalpa
Catalpa bignonioides
Family: | Bignoniaceae (big-no-nih-AY-see-ee) (Info) |
Genus: | Catalpa (kuh-TAL-puh) (Info) |
Species: | bignonioides (big-non-YOY-deez) (Info) |
Category:
Trees
Water Requirements:
Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater
Sun Exposure:
Full Sun
Foliage:
Deciduous
Foliage Color:
Height:
30-40 ft. (9-12 m)
over 40 ft. (12 m)
Spacing:
20-30 ft. (6-9 m)
Hardiness:
USDA Zone 5a: to -28.8 °C (-20 °F)
USDA Zone 5b: to -26.1 °C (-15 °F)
USDA Zone 6a: to -23.3 °C (-10 °F)
USDA Zone 6b: to -20.5 °C (-5 °F)
USDA Zone 7a: to -17.7 °C (0 °F)
USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9 °C (5 °F)
USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 °C (10 °F)
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F)
USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 °C (20 °F)
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F)
Where to Grow:
Grow outdoors year-round in hardiness zone
Danger:
Parts of plant are poisonous if ingested
Handling plant may cause skin irritation or allergic reaction
Pollen may cause allergic reaction
Bloom Color:
White/Near White
Bloom Characteristics:
This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds
Flowers are fragrant
Bloom Size:
Bloom Time:
Mid Spring
Late Spring/Early Summer
Other details:
Soil pH requirements:
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline)
Patent Information:
Non-patented
Propagation Methods:
From semi-hardwood cuttings
From seed; winter sow in vented containers, coldframe or unheated greenhouse
From seed; direct sow after last frost
Seed Collecting:
Allow pods to dry on plant; break open to collect seeds
Regional
This plant is said to grow outdoors in the following regions:
Huxford, Alabama
Jones, Alabama
Midland City, Alabama
Skipperville, Alabama
Vincent, Alabama
Phoenix, Arizona
Peel, Arkansas
Hermosa Beach, California
Magalia, California
NORTH FORK, California
Rancho Cucamonga, California
Sacramento, California
Whittier, California
Clifton, Colorado
Ellendale, Delaware
Altamonte Springs, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Cohutta, Georgia
Rome, Georgia
Tifton, Georgia
Chatham, Illinois
Chicago, Illinois(3 reports)
Frankfort, Illinois
Rockford, Illinois
Indianapolis, Indiana
Iowa City, Iowa
Lawrence, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Benton, Kentucky
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Jonesville, Louisiana
Pollock, Louisiana
Prairieville, Louisiana
Zachary, Louisiana
Valley Lee, Maryland
Dunstable, Massachusetts
Detroit, Michigan
Saginaw, Michigan
Amory, Mississippi
Piedmont, Missouri
Smithville, Missouri
Reno, Nevada(2 reports)
Morristown, New Jersey
Neptune, New Jersey
Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Roswell, New Mexico
Brasher Falls, New York
Copake, New York
Andrews, North Carolina
Belmont, North Carolina
Columbus, North Carolina
Corapeake, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Bucyrus, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Heath, Ohio
Marion, Ohio
Sandusky, Ohio
Hulbert, Oklahoma
Jay, Oklahoma
Lawton, Oklahoma
MULINO, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Conway, South Carolina
Spartanburg, South Carolina
Summerville, South Carolina
Adamsville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Amarillo, Texas
Anderson, Texas
Arlington, Texas
Austin, Texas
Cedar Lane, Texas
Dallas, Texas(2 reports)
De Leon, Texas
George West, Texas
Hurst, Texas
Kempner, Texas
Leakey, Texas
Mc Kinney, Texas
Round Rock, Texas
Rusk, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
Santa Fe, Texas
Spicewood, Texas
Woodville, Texas
Magna, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah(2 reports)
Dumfries, Virginia(2 reports)
Woodbridge, Virginia
Olympia, Washington
Falling Waters, West Virginia
Rosedale, West Virginia
Malone, Wisconsin
show allGardeners' Notes:
Rating | Content |
---|---|
Positive | On Jul 31, 2018, ddsoffice from Reno, NV (Zone 7a) wrote: Wow, if the following commenter's description is the correct type of Catalpa, we have 2 of these trees in our backyard and they are 40 feet tall or more! |
Negative | On Dec 8, 2014, NCMstGardener from Columbus, NC (Zone 7b) wrote: As a youth, I called this the "Indian Cigar Tree" and actually smoked the pods. One grows 200 yards away in a neighbor's North Carolina pasture and that is close enough. The is a really messy tree and it's huge leaves are a pain to rake up |
Negative | On Nov 3, 2014, CindyLewis from Dallas, TX (Zone 8a) wrote: This is the only living tree I have ever cut down. The trunk was over 3 feet in diameter. The leaves smell like cigarettes, but the main problem is the caterpillars. They completely strip the huge leaves off the tree so that it cannot even provide shade in the summer and they fall like rain. Truly yucky. |
Neutral | On Sep 8, 2014, NationsCapitol from Washington, DC wrote: we got have this tree in my yard. it is pretty. it throws sticks at me when i go to work. the dam thing is big big big. i lik the shad but the stiks....dam! it has catapilers tat are large and sometim will atak you. my nex door nebor get them for fising at the river. esept for the shad i got no use. it is a big tree but we cand it not be to able to talk bad about it. we like it |
Positive | On Feb 6, 2014, Catalpalover from Newington, VA wrote: As everyone can tell by my user name, I like the tree. My family farms for a living and uses this tree as a fence row. We cut up Catalpa and Cedar for fencing as they both do not rot quickly. Catalpa trees are very pretty. I do not currently have much to do with the family farm, however I took a small one from there and planted it at my current house. Hurricane Isabel in 03 topped it, so I had to try to shape it up. It was still little then. (about 6 at the base) It grew back very quickly. Now it is about 30 inches at the base. It flowered before it got topped, but did not flower again till about 3 years ago. I now live in an urban development, not a farm. So I am not sure if this makes a difference? In any event, this is a great tree that I would recommend to anyone that wan... read more |
Positive | On Jul 25, 2011, tonypinokla from Lawton, OK wrote: my toy pug became drowsy after chewing on one of the bean pods from my catalpa tree. It is truly halucinagenic like people have said it is. |
Positive | On May 28, 2011, CuriousJill from Amarillo, TX wrote: My tree is a three year-old volunteer. I have a question: I have a single bee making a home in a hollow tube of a garden table, he/she is biting off bits of the Catapa leaves and taking them into the table. How ODD! Is this common? |
Neutral | On Mar 19, 2011, delchiaro from Sacramento, CA wrote: I agree with many of the previous comments about the upsides of this tree. We had a very tall Catalpa in our Sacramento backyard for many years. Beautiful flowers and leaves. However, we just had the tree cut down which left a lot of sawdust on the ground. Soon after, we had a good rain storm creating puddles in the yard around where the tree used to be. A day later, literally thousands of earthworms surfaced and died. It is amazing to see so many worms in one place. You couldn't walk anywhere without stepping on one. Sad they are all dead. I've read that the roots are poisonous but apparently the sawdust is also quite bad for worms. |
Positive | On May 9, 2010, davescastle from (Zone 7a) wrote: I live in my family home which has been in the family since the 1930s when it was built. There are two large Catalpa trees in the yard which were planted by my grandfather for shade before air conditioning. Both of which he planted just after the house was built. The trees are quite large at the base but not as tall as you may think. (45-50 feet maybe) I remember collecting the worms as pets when I was a kid. Dad hated the worms because in bad years they would almost defoliate the trees. This did not seem to harm the Catalpas because they always came back in full force the following year. The worms are much better looking than the moths that come later. Some years the worms were plentiful, and other years there were almost none. Catalpas do produce lots of bean pods that fall of... read more |
Neutral | On May 2, 2010, silverkathy8 from Chicago, IL wrote: Beautiful tree but MESSY! We live in Chicago and are constantly cleaning up the dried bean pods from our yard, the neighbor's yards, the sidewalk, etc. There is a much older Catalpa tree across the street from us and it produces considerably less bean pods. Maybe these taper off with age? The upside is that the leaves are large and pretty and the flowers are lovely, albeit short-lived. |
Positive | On Nov 27, 2009, dannyochase from Indianapolis, IN wrote: We have lots of these trees on our place. 2 big ones 50' tall and 3' in diameter, are favorites for their nice shaped curving branches, nice display of flowers in spring, and good shade for the house. the large leaves are beautiful too. many young ones pop up each year all around the yard and we have some in all sizes now. we prune out most of them and keep the lucky ones that started in some good places. |
Positive | On Jun 6, 2008, therica from Falling Waters, WV (Zone 7a) wrote: Despite a number of potential negative's for some people, these are spectacular trees. They're plentiful in our area, and free-seed, growing wherever they can find a place-- all through our gardens, cracks in the concrete, you name it. On the other hand, they grow very quickly and can be transplanted elsewhere, if desired. |
Positive | On Apr 1, 2008, LiliMerci from North of Atlanta, GA (Zone 8a) wrote: This information was given to me by RainbowRider. I thought it was very interesting and was given permission to add to the plant file. |
Positive | On Jul 25, 2007, debbiegadsden from Nanoose Bay, I love this tree. It is not natural to my area, the east coast of Vancouver Island, which is off the west coast of British Columbia, Canada. I picked up a spindly little tree from a flea market and it has grown very quickly here, we are in a very warm micro-climate for the area. Does anyone know how old the tree has to get before it gets the "pods"? Mine is about 4 years old now and is still only producing flowers. It could be possible it doesn't get enough water in order to produce the pods. I'm not sure if that would make a difference or not. I have not seen a single caterpillar yet! Love to hear from anyone, anywhere. |
Positive | On Jul 15, 2007, Sheanie wrote: I notice catalpa trees on old farmer's home steads. Our home was built in 1867 and we have a huge old catalpa that I just love. It must have been a popular tree about 75 years ago, because alot of them in Saginaw are about that old. I am curious about the caterpillars mentioned here. We have never seen any on our tree. And our seedlings that self sow flower after only 3 years. They grow fast, up to a point, then they seem to slow down. The shape is very distinctive, easy to spot year round because of the beans. I think people mistake catalpa trees for dead in the spring because they are the last to bud here, and they do look dead. Then they bud and flower fully in mid June. Sometimes they will re-flower again a month later, but more sparsely. |
Positive | On Jan 1, 2007, Donnaearthmama from Whittier, CA wrote: Yay! Thank you guys for this website and all your helpful comments! |
Positive | On Jul 25, 2006, Beachcares from Nashville, TN wrote: This tree is awsome. My brother planted it 40 yrs ago and its going strong. Its wayyy over our house, so probably 40-50 ft...I am getting a picture. Everyone that comes to the house says its the most georgeous tree. |
Neutral | On May 3, 2006, Marsipan from Austin, TX wrote: We have two of these trees in the front yard of our rental house (now, two-years residents). Do not know age, but the catalpas are over twenty-five-feet tall. They bloom dramatically every March. The blossoms are overwhelmingly, dreamily, sweetly fragrant for about two weeks. The trees do make a mess of the yard when the huge leaves & pods drop, but a true gardener knows that the organic matter that drops to the ground will always contribute to the health of future plants in the fertile soil! |
Neutral | On Mar 28, 2006, ineedacupoftea from Denver, CO wrote: Can sometimes exhibit iron chlorosis in Alkaline soils when Catalpa speciosa (Northern Catalpa) does not, thus the Northern Catalpa can be used as root stock. |
Neutral | On Oct 26, 2005, Sarahskeeper from Brockton, MA (Zone 6a) wrote: Not a very attractive tree. Large heart shaped leaves turn dead deep gray in fall. Scraggly limbs appear dull black in winter with messy bean seed pods littering the area. |
Positive | On Oct 8, 2005, Sheila_FW from Fort Worth, TX (Zone 8a) wrote: I can remember as a child in central Louisiana, my stepfather teaching me how to fish. I throughly loved to go fishing with him. We had a Catalpa tree that we gathered the cats from for fishing. He would put them in the freezer! A few weeks later when we got to go fishing, we would pull the jar out of the freezer and put it in the boat. Before we got to the lake they would be crawling again.... I was amazed! |
Negative | On Nov 10, 2004, tazzo from chicago, IL (Zone 5b) wrote: Messy,12 mos.per yr.,with little fragrance of blossoms. On a small city lot this 40 ft.ér will anger neighbors on all ajoining properties. A blizzard of beautiful snowy orchids with deep orange centers covers everything near,but for only 1wk.per yr. Leaves larger than a big man's hand fill many bags if not shredded & composted. Heavy pods 16"-18" long have very sharp tips suitable for children's wepons. Wrong tree,wrong location,beware the catalpa. |
Positive | On Aug 1, 2004, lessa from Mulino, OR wrote: I've just received a catalpa tree from a "neighbor" where I live in the mid-Willamette Valley of Oregon. She regularly starts seeds from her two trees which I consider magnificent. One is in her front yard and during a very hot day just calls to you to sit, put your feet up and sip a cool drink. Her trees have 'beans' about 18" long and she says even with the dropping, it is well worth having it for shade and fragrance. I'm looking forward to my own 3' seedling growing and enhancing our country road. |
Negative | On Jul 14, 2004, chicochi3 from Fayetteville, AR (Zone 6b) wrote: The tree is pretty enough, but has caterpillars on it that fall off and get all over your porch, the yard, the road, your vehicle. Every time you step out the door, you squash them on the bottom of your shoes, and have squashed caterpillars everywhere you walk. The trees are not worth the trouble caused by the caterpillars. |
Positive | On Jul 8, 2004, SoConfused from Belmont, NC wrote: My boyfriend and I are HUGE fishers. As we were driving to get out bait, he took me...to a tall, beautiful plant with that he called, a "Bean Worm Tree". As I looked at the tree, it looked like a typical plant to me, nothing special about it But when he turned the leaves over, there was what looked like to me, a green and black catipillar. He said that the tree "produces" the worms!!! Just like a peach tree produces peaches, he said a bean worm tree produces "bean worms." Now I find it VERY hard to beleive that a plant, or tree, can bloom "a living insect!" So please, someone clear this up for me and him... and tell me how the worms got there. |
Positive | On Jul 8, 2004, jlane from London, A colleague and I had, quite separately, observed this tree growing from a pavement in London, England totally surrounded by pavement between a pub and a bus stop. It was through your website that she discovered the species which we had both wondered about as this lovely specimen has not been spotted anywhere else in England. Thank you. |
Positive | On Jun 16, 2004, Wingnut from Spicewood, TX (Zone 8b) wrote: One of the top ten comment-getters in my yard. My grandma planted this years and years ago ~ Mom said she remembers the tree being mature sized when she first came here in 1952. I never have seen any catalpa worms on it though. |
Positive | On May 23, 2004, htop from San Antonio, TX (Zone 8b) wrote: The roots are supposed to be highly poisonous. The flowers may cause dermatitis in some people and their odor may be poisonous. It is usually deer resistant. |
Positive | On May 19, 2004, Grandpastree from Snellville, GA wrote: I have 6 Catalpa trees. My grandparents had 1 large one while I was growing up. As babies came up I asked if I could have them. They put them in coffee cans. I didn't own a home so I upgraded the size of their pots every couple of years, not letting them get too large. We lived in California. |
Positive | On May 1, 2004, hangfire wrote: I live in north Louisiana and there are literally hundreds of these trees around here, the folks around here use them mostly for fish bait, but my friend in Jonesville,La. has about four of them in her backyard and none of them have worms on them and she says never have. I have heard several stories about these trees and some say there are male and female trees also that some trees never have worms. I have also heard that if you break a small limb and leaves that have worms on them and hang them on a tree that don't have worms that the worms will eat the leaves that are closest to them and then go to the leaves on the tree with no worms, can someone enlighten me on this? I sure would appreciate it... |
Positive | On Apr 14, 2004, Maudie from Harvest, AL wrote: One of these came up in my huge flower garden and I let it remain. It is a fast growing tree here in Alabama and now provides shade for shade loving plants. |
Positive | On Apr 12, 2004, OzzieGardener from Wangaratta, We have three of these trees growing in our back yard. We are in north east Victoria, 144.18 m above sea level, about 500 kms north of Melbourne. Because of lack of care before we moved in, these trees were stunted (5' tall & spindly). Since caring for them & pruning them, they have grown to 20' tall in 18 months. They generally grow slowly in Australia. In this area we can go from minus 6 degrees Celcius to over 45 degrees Celcius in the same week. They can cope with drought for up to four years in a row and being under water during flood season for up to 10 days at a time. These trees are tough! Our native birds love them as well as the bees and insects. |
Positive | On Apr 5, 2004, ObjectiveMatt from Hermosa Beach, CA wrote: I'm growing a few catalpa trees. Largest is currently 5 feet tall. I live in Southern California (Hermosa Beach) and I got my seeds from a on the north shore of Kauai, Hawaii in Princeville on the top of hide-a-way beach. |
Neutral | On Aug 14, 2003, Luba wrote: I am very interested in learning the difference between the Catalpa and Catawba trees. I have just started researching them on the internet. I think the trees on our new property are Catalpa trees. They get large white flowers in the spring, which fall. Then they get large heart shaped leaves followed by long pods. By fall, the pods dry up and fall along with the leaves. We are CONSTANTLY cleaning up after them. We lovingly call them the giving trees because it keeps us cheerful as we rake! If anyone can share more insight as to the different names I'd be most appreciative. Thanks! P.S. I live in Central Ohio and our trees are about 60 feet tall. I hear they were originally planted by the farmer who owned this property during the depression because he wanted to use them as fence posts when... read more |
Positive | On Jul 27, 2003, Dorsey wrote: I grew up in North Carolina (U.S.) and have very fond memories of the Catawba trees that grew beside our fish pond out back. My Dad caught a lot of fish with the Catawba worms that he picked off those trees! I also remember my Dad keeping the worms in a cigar box in the refrigerator. I especially remember the time he didn't put the top on really well and how mad my Mother was. I don't think she approved of worms in her refrigerator!! |
Positive | On Jul 24, 2003, laneybob from Lake Park, GA wrote: Years ago my father use to put catawba worms in a cigar box and put them into the refrigerator to keep until the next morning for fishing. He use to turn them wrong side out and they were great fish bait. He planted his own tree, but he died before it got very big. I always think of this great outdoorsman when I see a beautiful catawba tree. |
Positive | On Jul 23, 2003, poorgeorge from Rock Hill, SC (Zone 8a) wrote: I grew up in Georgia (U.S.) and we hunted for the Catawba trees just to get the worms. We'd cut them in half and turn the half inside out on the hook. The best Bream bait ever! I didn't even know that they flowered. I have one started here, four years old now but no flowers yet; it's only eight feet tall so far. The big leaves are a show, too. I'm also waiting for the worms, lol |
Neutral | On Jun 15, 2003, Stonebec from Fort Worth, TX (Zone 7b) wrote: This tree was full grown in my yard when I moved in 10 years ago. It is a good, smooth-bark climbing tree for my kids. Branches are sturdy and the bark is a pleasant gray-green. The leaves and flowers are very interesting. The kids are allowed to go barefoot in the spring when they can find a catalpa leaf as large as their face. I might never have heard of this tree or chosen to plant it, but we do enjoy it. |
Positive | On Jun 14, 2003, fishbait wrote: The web-building caterpillar that eats the Catawba leaves serves a useful purpose. The sphinx moth lays the eggs which hatch into caterpillars. They make EXCELLENT fish bait for Red Breast Bream! |
Neutral | On May 15, 2002, melody from Benton, KY (Zone 7a) wrote: This tree gets quite large here in the South and grows rapidly.I've seen them over 60 feet quite often...some much larger. |
Neutral | On Sep 9, 2001, mystic from Ewing, KY (Zone 6a) wrote: This is a medium sized tree that gets from 35-40 feet.Has large heart-shaped deciduous leaves, and clustered ,frilly, bell-shaped,white flowers striped with yellow and spotted with purple in the early summer.These are followed by thin, long cigar-shaped pods,6 to 20 inches long. |