Plant Guide - Northern Catalpa Catalpa Speciosa (Warder) Warder Ex Engelm. - U.s. Department Of Agriculture

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Plant Guide
Uses
NORTHERN
Horticultural: Northern catalpa (Catalpa speciosa
(Warder) Warder ex Engelm.) is primarily used today
CATALPA
as a large ornamental shade tree. It is widely planted
in urban areas as a street and lawn tree. When
Catalpa speciosa (Warder)
flowering, it has abundant showy blossoms.
Warder ex Engelm.
Conservation: Conservation uses include being
Plant Symbol = CASP8
planted in mined-land reclamation projects and
shelterbelts.
Contributed by: USDA NRCS Manhattan Plant
Materials Center and Kansas State University
European settlers planted it to produce fence posts.
Forestry Research
The wood is lightweight, and the heartwood is
resistant to deterioration when placed in the ground
for several years. Railroad companies grew
plantations of it for use as track ties and fuel wood. It
was also used for making packing materials.
Carpenters commonly used it for interior trim in
houses. Craftsmen used it to make furniture. It has
also been used as telephone or power line poles.
Ethnobotany: In some of the older medical journals
th
(19
century) there were speculations that catalpa
gave off poisonous emanations. However, there is no
scientific evidence to prove those speculations.
Pioneer doctors used the seed pods and seeds to make
a decoction for chronic bronchial affections,
spasmodic asthma, labored breathing and heart
problems. The juice from either the leaves or roots
was used to treat swelling of an eye or cutaneous
affections. Green leaves were crushed and placed on
swollen lymph glands. The bark was dried then
ground to a powder and taken, or brewed in a tea and
taken for swollen lymph glands.
Modern pharmaceutical research has shown catalpa
trees have diuretic properties.
It is sometimes planted to attract the green catalpa
worms, which are prized fish bait. These caterpillars
J.S. Peterson @ plants.usda.gov
can be frozen and used as bait at a later time.
Alternate Names
Status
Hardy catalpa, western catalpa, Catawba, Catawba-
Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State
tree, cigar tree, Indian bean tree, Indian cigar,
Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s
Shawnee wood, early-flowering catalpa. The name
current status (e.g. threatened or endangered species,
‘catalpa’ comes from the Cherokee Indian language
state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).
as the word for the tree. ‘Speciosa’ means “showy”
for the large and numerous flowers.
Weediness
This plant may become weedy or invasive in some
regions or habitats and may displace desirable
Plant Materials <
Plant Fact Sheet/Guide Coordination Page <
National Plant Data Center <

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