SCIENTIFIC NAME: Paulownia tomentosa

COMMON NAME: royal paulownia, empress tree, princess tree

LEAVES: Opposite or whorled and cordate with velvety pubescence underneath and a long petiole. Up to a 1' or more in length.

FLOWERS: Lavender in clusters in the spring. Showy.

FRUIT: Brown in pods about 1" long and filled with tiny winged seeds that are scattered everywhere.

BARK: Grey, with shallow ridge and furrows.

OTHER: A fast growing tree (up to 6' per year) that is sold in many magazines as a super tree. Because this tree suckers badly and is short lived it should not be used in the landscape. Fibrous rooted and colonizes an area readily so it is used in mine reclamation areas to slow erosion. Lots of little winged fruit in the fall which produce a lot of seedlings. A member of the Scrophulariaceae family.