Catalpa bignonioides
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Photo courtesy Renee Brecht |
Britton & Brown |
| Botanical name: | Catalpa bignonioides Walter |
| Common name: | catalpa; Indian cigar tree |
| Synonomy: | Catalpa catalpa |
| Group: | dicot |
| Family: | Bignoniaceae |
| Growth type: | tree |
| Duration: | perennial |
| Origin: | native to South |
| Plant height: | 30 - 40' |
| Foliage: | 6 to 12" opposite or whorled, simple, heart-shaped |
| Flower: | white bell shaped flowers with orange stripes and purple spots and strips. Fruit looks like a long bean. |
| Flowering time: | early June to July; fruits July and August |
| Habitat: | moist, well-drained soils, waste places |
| Range in New Jersey: | statewide; most abundant in the Delaware watershed |
| Heritage ranking, if any: | n/a |
| Distribution: |  |
| Misc. | This plant is often found on old homestead sites, even in the
middle of apparent wilderness in the Pine barrens, indicating previous
settlement. The name "catalpa" comes from the Native American tribe, Catawba of South Carolina, who smoked the bean pods. The pods are said to be hallucinogenic. |