The native reach of the two type of catalpa Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree that grow in the United States are somewhat uncertain , since the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree has long been a popular ornamental and the great unwashed institute it across much of the East . The catalpas go to the Bignonia kin , a chemical group of mostly tropical plant ; the northern catalpa is the most north place of this chemical group . The catalpas have interesting characteristic , such as very big leaves and hanging seedpods .
Size
The northern catalpa can grow to 100 feet high and averages between 60 and 80 feet . The southern catalpa is a smaller metal money , with an average individual about 50 feet tall . The trunk diameters of the catalpas are in the 2 to 3 foundation compass . Indian bean grow rather quickly but are short - lived . The Georgia School of Forest Resources Extension site says a southerly catalpa typically live for only 70 years .
Foliage
The leaf shape of the Indian bean ’s foliation bears a gravid similitude to elephant ear or large heart . Their size create them a prominent characteristic , as those on a northerly catalpa can be a foundation in distance and as wide as 8 inches ; the southern catalpa leaves are slightly smaller . The leaves grow three at each node on the twig in a whorled pattern and are a slow shade of green above with a haired pale underside . The leaves turn blackish before falling off the tree in fall .
Hanging Pods
The nicknames of the cigarette tree , noodle tree and Indian bean tree come from the catalpa ’s seedpod , which uprise from a showy bell - shaped bloom with splotch of yellow and purple on a mostly livid flower . The flowers are perfect , meaning they moderate manful and female section , so all catalpas will develop the yield ( seedpods ) . The seedpod are as long as 18 to 20 inches on the northerly variety and a twosome inch shorter on the southern type . The pod are green to start off , but eventually deepen to a tedious brown on both species , persisting on the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree through wintertime until launch the next spring and releasing the seeds .
Growing Conditions
The catalpas are easy to transplant and grow in many types of soils — and needs a full cheerfulness locale or a partial Lord’s Day localisation . Catalpas make fantabulous refinement Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and landscaping species , with the folio , flowers and finally the pods yield the tree diagram charm . However , the tree is a messy one for homeowners , require much sustentation beneath it , as the various features gradually fall to the flat coat and compile .
Considerations
The original range of the southern catalpa is now four time what it once was , with the tree ’s use as an ornamental being the rationality . The heartwood of the catalpa is resistant to the effect of molder and makes excellent fence post . Catalpa trees fall victim to high winds and chalk storms , lose branch during these weather events . The larvae of the Catalpa sphinx moth can chew the leaves and damage a northern catalpa . The catalpa is the lone plant that these caterpillars snipe .
