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Sunday, May 2. 2010

Saw this tree in bloom today behind a very good fish store, growing out of a hole in the asphalt. Never seen this sort of tree before. The wisteria-colored, tubular 2" blooms hang down, and last year's nut-like seed pods are still on the branches. The trunk looks like the trunk of a fast-growing trash tree. Quite a wonderful small tree, with the elegant blooms before the leaves emerge:

Reader got the name for me on the first try. Thanks. I had no idea what it was: The Empress Tree, Paulownia tomentosa. AKA Foxglove Tree. The blossoms do resemble Digitalis.

For an "invasive" trash tree which will grow anywhere, it sure is mighty purty in early May. My other photos of it below -

Posted by Bird Dog in Gardens, Plants, etc. at 11:41 | Comments (3) | Trackbacks (0)

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Looks like Paulownia tomentosa , a tree grown as an ornamental.
We have some around here, just down the street.

#1 brierrabbit on 2010-05-02 12:15 (Reply)

Not to mention, Paulownia has been used in Japan for centuries to make furniture -- Indeed, I have a tansu made of it in my living room. The wood is soft and light and produces quite acceptable-looking furniture.

In short, this is not just a junk tree, and the Paulownia tree has its defenders even here in the U.S.

See: http://www.paulowniatrees.org/about.htm

#2 Elinvar on 2010-05-02 15:19 (Reply)

I can't give you a source for this but I once heard that one of the reasons the Japanese used paulownia to make chests and boxes was that it could be watered down and the wood would hold the water making it more fire-proof. In a city where thatched roofs were the norm and fires raged when they started, being able to protect your goods was a major consideration.

But again, I have no evidence of this. I heard it from friends when I lived in Japan.

#3 BlogDog (Link) on 2010-05-03 09:57 (Reply)

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Sunday, May 2. 2010

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