Catalpa Species, Catawba, Cigar Tree, Fish-Bait Tree, Indian Bean Tree, Southern Catalpa

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!
We are in Zone 7, Reno, Nevada where it snows and gets below zero at times in the winter! Perhaps the extreme weather we have is why the 30 plus year old Catalpas we have are growing tall and thin vs. more full as in the warmer parts of the country such as the Southern States! This is obviously a much more hardy tree than most descriptions give!
Here is the prior commenter's description including the way the flowers look!
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 ,fr... read moreilly, 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.

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.

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 morets something that will grow very quickly where you need it to!!!

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?

Also, a young female squirrel likes to snack on the leaves. So far, an amusing tree!

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 moref mainly in the spring when the new growth appears. I use the bean pods as mulch for my flower beds because they are free and decompose fairly quickly. The bean pods seemed more plentiful when the trees were younger than they do now, and we have not seen any worms for 10 years or so. These trees produce abundant shade, so it may be difficult to grow sun loving plants under the canopy. When I was a kid we had to sleep with the windows closed for about two weeks in June because of my sisters allergy to the flowers. The Catalpas bloomed heavier when they were young, buy are still impressive when in full bloom. When the leaves fall we mulch them up with the lawn mower, we do not bother with raking them because they are very brittle once they dry out. Our trees are old, but still have an awesome shape. Even though our trees are ending their life cycle, if one should die we intend to replace it with another young Catalpa, which pop up every year in our flower beds!

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.

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.

Catalpa worms are the fish-bait of choice for many anglers here in the south. From scale fish to catfish. The only food supply for the Catalpa worm/caterpillar is the leaves of the Catalpa tree. The leaves get huge, as big as or bigger than a tobacco leaf. The tree itself grows extremely fast and tall. I've planted seedlings that would grow at least 1ft in 1 week. To get the worms on the tree a certain Moth/Butterfly has to lay its eggs on the leaves and they hatch very quickly, as soon as they hatch they immediately start eating the leaves non stop 24 hours a day and reach adult size "4.5" inches in about eight days. Some adults will crawl ... read moredown the tree and into the soil at the base of the tree where they will hibernate until the next year when they emerge from the ground in the form of a flying insect; moth/butterfly and lays it's eggs and the entire cycle starts again. The caterpillars are beautiful, black with yellowish green stripes horizontally on there body. They cannot sting you but, they have suction appendages on their belly side to help hold them on the leaves and when you handle them they will try to get a grip on you. You just pull them off gently. If your tree does not get visited by this bug you need to find someone with a tree that has the caterpillars on it. Remove some of them and place them on your tree leaves so the cycle will happen on your tree/trees. Ask around fishing tackle/bait shops and ask if anyone knows someone with the caterpillars on their Catalpa tree. If you locate some take a paper bag with you and put some of the worms in the bag along with some leaves, twist the top and punch plenty of small holes in the bag. Do not use plastic! Place the worms/caterpillars on your tree leaves and they will start eating immediately! Their only enemies besides man are wasps! They love to sting them and suck the juice out of them. The cycle is short lived but you can store them in the refrigerator where they will become dormant and wait on you to go fishing. When they get warmed up again they will be actively be searching for the leaves that keep them alive. Their skin is a little tough which is good/they stay on the hook better. When I go to Wal-Mart I usually see some artificial catalpa worms in the tackle section. Yellow with black stripes. 4 freshwater only.

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.

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.

I am still reading and someone may have asked but what do we do with the cigar like things that grow? The birds open them up so it must be seeds. I would like to look into saving those and giving or selling these so these trees will live on.

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.

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!

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.

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.

Editor's Note: The Catalpa tree is known for attracting sphinx moths (also known as "Catalpa Sphinx Moths") and the females l... read moreay eggs on the tree; the hatched caterpillars ("worms") are a favorite of fish and fishermen. However, the tree does not actually produce the worms.

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.

Blooms look identical to Proboscidea louisianica, a fleshy annual.

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.

My grandfather passed away 3 years ago. Shortly after that we moved to Georgia. We packed everything on a moving truck but my 6 Catalpas came with us in a U-Haul trailer. I didn't know if they would survive the drive across country but they did.

After we bought a home we planted the trees. They have been in the ground for a year and a half. They are already over 12 feet tall! They're beautiful! They have such a special place in my heart because they came f... read morerom property my grandparents owned that I visited as I grew up. Our neighbors keep asking what they are and where they can get them.

I came across this website looking for information about how to shape and trim my trees so they'll grow in to beautiful trees.

4 of the trees belong to family members. We planted the littlest one for my little boy when he was 1 year old and it was the same size as him. We planted the next one for my 12 year old daughter and it was the same size as her. We planted the one for me because it had a lot of branches and looked like a mommy tree that could spread its branches around its babies to protect them. And we planted the tallest tree for my husband who is tall. Okay.. I know it's silly, but it's something that means a lot to each of us. This will go on for our family for many years. Who knows. Maybe some day my kids will have kids and we'll plant trees for them.

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.
The flowers are very beautiful and bees
love them. There is another one some distance away that provides fishing worms for friends who want them. They are later
leafing out than most trees and the leaves alone are very pretty.

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.

I've also seen really beatiful golden catapla (which is center stage) in Vanduesen Gardens (really nice botanical garden) in Vancouver, Canada. I'm still trying to get seeds for this so can grow my own.

The golden is really something to see and only about 20-25 feet tall. In addition there are plenty of standard green ones outside the garden near thieir parking lots 40-60 feet tall and I've seen a few planted around Vancouver just on the street in front of people's homes (in the strip between the street and the sidewalk) so they were put ... read morethere and maintained by the city.

Mine has little thorns every so often if that helps and an occational fairly large thorn too. I'll post some photos when the leaves come back; just starting to bud now.

Also did have a small problem with spider mites, but just blew them off with a hose and so not to big of a deal and guessing only was a problem as my trees are still a babies.

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!!

I have decided to plant a Catawba tree and have begun to research them on the internet. This research is really bringing back those fond memories of growing up and learning to fish. Of course, my fishing instructor was none other than my Dad who enjoyed fishing more than any person I have ever known. My Catawba tree will be planted in h... read moreis memory.

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

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!

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.