Paulownia tomentosa

The generic name Paulownia honours Anna Pavlovna of Russia, who was Queen Consort of the Netherlands from 1840 to 1849. The specific epithet tomentosa is a Latin word meaning 'covered in hairs'. ==Description==

This tree grows tall, with large heart-shaped to five-lobed leaves across, arranged in opposite pairs on the stem. On young growth, the leaves may be in whorls of three and be much bigger than the leaves on more mature growth. The leaves on stump shoots can achieve remarkable size; leaves wide and almost as long have been reported. The leaves can be mistaken for those of the catalpa. The very fragrant flowers, large and violet-blue in colour are produced before the leaves in early spring, on panicles long, with a tubular purple corolla long resembling a foxglove flower. The fruit is a dry egg-shaped capsule long, containing numerous tiny seeds. The seeds are winged and disperse by wind and water. Pollarded trees do not produce flowers, as these form only on mature wood. Paulownia tomentosa requires full sun for proper growth. It is tolerant of pollution and can tolerate many soil types. It can also grow from small cracks in pavements and walls. Paulownia can survive wildfires because the roots can regenerate new, very fast-growing stems. P. tomentosa is drought-resistant and thrives in barren soil, particularly suitable for cold and arid regions. Its main trunk is short, and its growth rate is relatively slow after it reaches maturity. ==Range==

Native range P. tomentosa is native to much of central and eastern China Introduced range Europe In August 2021 the EPPO added P. tomentosa to its Alert List, not due to any particular known problem within Europe, but as a step to begin assessing whether it should be regarded as a problematic invader. • Austria, Belgium, Poland, Czech Republic, France (including Corsica), Germany, Hungary, Italy (including Sardinia and Sicily), Slovenia, Switzerland, United Kingdom Africa • South Africa North America United States • Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia Oceania • New Zealand Asian introduced range • Japan ==Uses==

Paulownia tomentosa is cultivated as an ornamental tree in parks and gardens. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. In Japan, it is customary to plant seeds of the tree when a couple has a daughter; it is said that by the time the daughter is in her older teens or at the peak of adulthood when she is ready to marry, the tree by this time has also grown to maturity, which is then felled and made into a tansu dresser as a wedding gift. The timber is used in making instruments, as well. P. tomentosa has been suggested as a plant to use in carbon capture projects. P. tomentosa has large leaves that readily absorb pollutants, and also has value in timber and aesthetics, adding to interest surrounding its use in carbon capture. Inaccurate citation practices have led to circulating claims that P. tomentosa performs C4 carbon fixation. However, this species does not fulfill the experimental criteria necessary to demonstrate C4 photosynthesis. ==Composition==

Some geranyl flavonoids can be found in P. tomentosa. Verbascoside can also be produced in hairy roots cultures of P. tomentosa. ==Pictures==

File:2014-05-17 08 51 56 Royal Empress Tree blossoms along Federal City Road in Ewing, New Jersey.JPG|alt=Flowers File:PaulowniaTomentosaTrunk.jpg|alt=Trunk File:Paulownia tomentosa bark 3.jpg|alt=Trunk bark File:PaulowniaTomentosaFruit.jpg|alt=Fruit File:PaulowniaTomentosaShell.jpg|Spent fruit File:Paulownia tomentosa (6).JPG|alt=Leaf File:Baden-Baden-Paulownia tomentosa-14-Blauglockenbaum-2020-gje.jpg|alt=Young tree File:Baden-Baden-Paulownia tomentosa-40-Blauglockenbaum-Bluete-2012-gje.jpg|alt=Flowers File:Paulownia sapling.jpg|alt=Sapling|New growth on second-year sapling File:Paulownia tomentosa Paulownia puszysta 2018-09-02 02.jpg|Flower buds File:PaulowniaTimber.JPG|Timber File:Mature Foxglove Tree in Bute Park Cardiff, Wales, 2025.jpg|Image showing a Large Mature Foxglove Tree in flower on May 4, 2025 in Bute Park, Wales, UK. Human for scale. ==References==