Paulownia tomentosa

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Cladus: Lamiids
Ordo: Lamiales

Familia: Paulowniaceae
Genus: Paulownia
Species: Paulownia tomentosa
Varietates: P. t. var. tomentosa – P. t. var. tsinlingensis
Name

Paulownia tomentosa (Thunb.) Steud., 1841.
Synonyms

Basionym
Bignonia tomentosa Thunb., Fl. Jap. 252. 1784.

Homotypic
Incarvillea tomentosa (Thunb.) Spreng., Syst. Veg. 2: 836. 1825.
Paulownia imperialis Siebold & Zucc., Fl. Jap. 1: 27, t. 10. 1835, nom. illeg.
Pauiownia tomentosa (Thunb.) Baill. Hist. Pl. 9: 434. 1888, comb. superfl.
Paulownia tomentosa (Thunb.) Britton, Trans. New York Acad. Sci. 9(1-2): 12 1889.

Hybrids

Paulownia × henanensis C.Y.Zhang & Y.H.Zhao

References

Flora of China (2008). 'eFloras. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. 2010 June 28 [1].
Steudel 1841. Nomencl. Bot. 2: 278.

Vernacular names
العربية: بولفينية كثة الزغب
azərbaycanca: Adəm ağacı
català: Paulònia
čeština: paulovnie plstnatá
Cymraeg: Coeden bysedd y cŵn
dansk: Kejsertræ
Deutsch: Blauglockenbaum
English: princess tree
Esperanto: Ĉina paŭlovnio
فارسی: پالونیای شهبانو
suomi: Keisaripuu
français: Pauwlonia
hrvatski: Pustenasta paulovnija
hornjoserbsce: Kejžorska pawlownija
magyar: császárfa
հայերեն: Պավլովնիա թաղիքանման
日本語: キリ
한국어: 참오동나무
lietuvių: Kininė paulovnija
Nederlands: Anna Paulownaboom
polski: paulownia omszona
русский: Павловния войлочная
slovenčina: paulovnia plstnatá
српски / srpski: Пауловнија
svenska: Kejsarträd
Tiếng Việt: Hông lông
中文: 毛泡桐, 紫花泡桐

Paulownia tomentosa, common names princess tree,[1] empress tree, or foxglove-tree,[2] is a deciduous hardwood tree in the family Paulowniaceae, native to central and western China. It is an extremely fast-growing tree with seeds that disperse readily, and is a persistent exotic invasive species in North America,[3] where it has undergone naturalisation in large areas of the Eastern US.[4] P. tomentosa has also been introduced to Western and Central Europe, and is establishing itself as a naturalised species there as well.[5][6]
Etymology
Flowering tree

The generic name Paulownia honors Anna Pavlovna of Russia.[7] The specific epithet tomentosa is a Latin word meaning ‘covered in hairs’.[8]
Description
Flowers and young leaves

This tree grows 10–25 m (33–82 ft) tall, with large heart-shaped to five-lobed leaves 15–40 cm (6–16 in) 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.[9] The leaves can be mistaken for those of the catalpa.

The very fragrant flowers, large and violet-blue in colour[10] are produced before the leaves in early spring, on panicles 10–30 centimetres (4–12 in) long, with a tubular purple corolla 4–6 centimetres (1+1⁄2–2+1⁄4 in) long resembling a foxglove flower. The fruit is a dry egg-shaped capsule 3–4 centimetres (1+1⁄8–1+5⁄8 in) 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.[11][12] 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.
Range

[13]
Native range
Asia
China

Anhui, Gansu, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Liaoning, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan

Korean peninsula

Korean peninsula

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.[13]

Austria, Belgium, 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, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, 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.[14][15]

Because of its tolerance and flexibility, Paulownia functions ecologically as a pioneer plant. Its nitrogen-rich leaves provide good fodder and its roots prevent soil erosion. Eventually, Paulownia is succeeded by taller trees that shade it and in whose shade it cannot thrive.[11][12]

The characteristic large size of the young growth is exploited by gardeners: by pollarding the tree and ensuring there is vigorous new growth every year, massive leaves are produced (up to 60 centimetres (24 in) across). These are popular in the modern style of gardening which uses large-foliaged and "architectural" plants.

The soft, lightweight seeds were commonly used as a packing material by Chinese porcelain exporters in the 19th century, before the development of polystyrene packaging. Packing cases would often leak or burst open in transit and scatter the seeds along rail tracks. The magnitude of the numbers of seeds used for packaging, together with seeds deliberately planted for ornament, has allowed the species to be viewed as an invasive species in areas where the climate is suitable for its growth, notably Japan and the eastern United States.[16]

In Japan, where the tree's name of Princess Tree originates, its name stems from the practice of planting 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.

Composition

Some geranyl flavonoids can be found in P. tomentosa.[17]

Verbascoside can also be produced in hairy roots cultures of P. tomentosa.[18]

References

"Paulownia tomentosa". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
"Paulownia tomentosa". Texas Invasive Species Institute. Retrieved Aug 3, 2019.
"Paulownia tomentosa Seeds". www.seedaholic.com. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
"Paulownia tomentosa | Manual of the Alien Plants of Belgium". alienplantsbelgium.be. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
"Oxford University Plants 400: Paulownia tomentosa". herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
Coombes, Allen J. (2012). The A to Z of plant names. USA: Timber Press. pp. 312. ISBN 9781604691962.
Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. p. 224. ISBN 9781845337315.
"image comparing large and small trees". Archived from the original on 2012-02-04. Retrieved 2006-05-03.
Fitter, Alastair; More (2012). Trees. [CollinsGem]. ISBN 978-0-00-718306-7.
Clatterbuck, Wayne K.; Hodges, Donald G. (2004), Tree Crops for Marginal Farmland: Paulownia, With a Financial Analysis (PB1465) (PDF), The University of Tennessee, p. 8
Bonner, F. T. (December 1990). "Royal Paulownia". In Burns, Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H. (eds.). Agriculture Handbook 654: Silvics of North America. Volume 2: Hardwoods. Washington, DC: Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
"Paulownia tomentosa". EPPO (European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization). Retrieved 2021-08-19.
"RHS Plant Selector - Paulownia tomentosa". Retrieved 16 January 2021.
"AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 72. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
Tom Remaley (2006-06-27). "Princess tree". Plant Conservation Alliance's Alien Plant Working Group Least Wanted.
C-geranyl compounds from Paulownia tomentosa fruits. Smejkal Karel, Grycova Lenka, Marek Radek, Lemiere Filip, Jankovska Dagmar, Forejtnikova Hana, Vanco Jan and Suchy Vaclav, Journal of natural products, 2007, vol. 70, no8, pp. 1244-1248
Establishment of transformed root cultures of Paulownia tomentosa for verbascoside production. H. Wysokiińska and M. Rózga, Journal of Plant Physiology, 1998, Volume 152, Issue 1, Pages 78–83, doi:10.1016/S0176-1617(98)80105-3