Cure Nursery

Native Plants of the Southeast

Catalpa bignonioides
Catalpa, Southern Catalpa, Cigar Tree, American Catalpa, Bean Tree, Indian Bean Tree, Catawba, Caterpillar Tree, Cigar Tree, Eastern Catalpa, Fish Bait Tree, Fisherman's Tree, Indian Cigar, Katalpa, Lady Cigar, Shawnee Wood, Smoking Bean, and Worm Tree.

Photo by Le.Loup.Gris

This plant is not currently for sale.  This is an archive page preserved for informational use.  

Southern Catalpa is a medium-sized (twenty-five to forty feet, sometimes taller) highly ornamental tree bearing large, heart-shaped leaves and strikingly beautiful flowers after about 6 years of age. The leaves are barely expanded in summer when the flowers appear, great numbers of trumpet-shaped, creamy white flowers speckled with bright gold and purple. The flowers develop into very long, slender, pendulous seed pods, which provide considerable visual interest in fall/winter. Southern Catalpa is used as an ornamental tree (think: substitute for the invasive Powlonia!) but not as a street tree as it is somewhat messy, dropping all those spent flowers. It prefers moist soil and full sun. In the South, the leaves may be stripped by the Catawba Sphinx caterpillar, but it releafs easily and the Catawba worm serves as fish bait! The species originated in a narrow geographical band across the Gulf states, but has naturalized along the entire Eastern U.S. as well as some western states and Canada. Having the showiest flowers of any native American tree, it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.

Last Updated: November 27, 2021

Key Info

Scientific Name: Catalpa bignonioides Walter
Common Names: Catalpa, Southern Catalpa, Cigar Tree, American Catalpa, Bean Tree, Indian Bean Tree, Catawba, Caterpillar Tree, Cigar Tree, Eastern Catalpa, Fish Bait Tree, Fisherman's Tree, Indian Cigar, Katalpa, Lady Cigar, Shawnee Wood, Smoking Bean, and Worm Tree.
Family Name: Bignoniaceae (Trumpet Creeper Family)
Plant Type: Tree / Shrub
Uses: Rain Garden, Woodland Garden, Specimen tree, Naturalizing
Light Requirement: Full sun, Partial/sunny, Partial/shady
Moisture Requirement: Dry, Wet, Medium, Moist well drained
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Bloom Times: Jun, Jul
Flower Color: White, Purple, Gold
Special Characteristics: Attracts bees, Attracts Hummingbirds, Attracts birds, Tolerates wet conditions, Tolerates drought, Fragrant flowers, Tolerates urban pollution

Additional Info

Habit: Tall, grey-brown trunk with a broad, irregular crown of somewhat crooked branches.
Height: 40'-60'
Spread: 30'-50'
Growth Rate: Moderate to fast
Soil Conditions: Catalpas prefer moist, deep, well drained soil, but adapt to dry or wet soils, of light (sandy), medium (loam) or heavy (clay) texture. The soil pH may range from acid to alkaline.
Leaves: Two to three leaves grow from each node (an opposite or whorled leaf arrangement). Leaves are 5-10" by 3-8", heart shaped and simple with smooth margins, pinnately veined. They are bright medium green on top, and paler green and slightly hairy underneath, especially on the veins. Leaves are connected to twigs with a long petiole (3-6 inches long). Leaves produce an unpleasant aromatic odor when crushed. They also have the unusual characteristic of secreting nectar from tiny glands in the axils of primary veins, which attracts ants. As they senesce in Fall, leaf blades turn a bright yellow color.
Flowers (or reproductive structures): Panicles of small, frilly, bell-shaped, perfect flowers 2" long by 1.5" across, white with bright gold and purple markings; showy. The plant is not self pollinating because of a staggering of the ripening of the pollen and the receptivity of the stigma.
Fruit: The fruit is a long, thin, bean-like pod (a capsule) 6-20" long x 0.5" wide, containing 1"-long, flat, brown seeds with fringed, papery wings. The pod ripens to brown in early fall, persists into winter, finally splitting before falling to the ground.
Natural Distribution: Rich moist soils by rivers/streams
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 to 9
USDA Wetland Indicator Status in NC: FACU
Pollination: Bees, butterflies, other insects
Wildlife Connections: Catalpa is the sole host for the larvae of the Catawba Sphinx Moth. As the Catalpa Sphinx larvae eat the leaves, significantly more nectar than normal seeps out of the damaged leaves. This increased nectar attracts various species of ants, ladybird beetles and predaceous insects. These predaceous insects attack and/or remove the eggs and young larvae of the Catalpa Sphinx.
Pharmacology: Plants for a Future calls its roots highly poisonous, but various medicinal teas have been made from its bark, seeds and pods, each addressing different ailments.
Cultural Notes: Southern Catalpa is free of fungal disease and has few insect enemies. However, it the sole host for the Catawba Sphinx Moth or "catalpa worm" (Ceratomia catalpae), which is resistant to the leaf compounds which deter other herbivorous insects and thus can feed on the leaves. This caterpillar has been known to defoliate a Southern Catalpa 1-3 times in a season without harming it. The larvae are very popular with fishermen throughout the South, who collect them and freeze them to use as fishing bait. (We read:)The wood is somewhat underrated hardwood. Unlike most other common carving woods, such as Butternut or Basswood, Catalpa is resistant to decay, and is more suited to outdoor carvings than other domestic species.
Downside: In some years, the tree can be nearly defoliated by the Catalpa Sphinx and appear to be in deep trouble. Also, branches are brittle and the large leaves can be damaged by high winds. As a yard specimen, it will drop a heavy load of flowers in the spring, then a plentiful supply of leaves in the fall, and finally a lot of large seedpods in the winter. Can produce root suckers. Green leaves give off a disagreeable odor when crushed.
Propagation: By seed.
USDA/NRCS Plant Distribution Map: View Map at USDA.gov
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