Southern Catalpa

Catalpa bignonioides

Taxonomy

Division:
Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
Family:
Bignoniaceae
Genus:
Catalpa
Species:
Catalpa bignonioides

Growth Characteristics

Life Cycle:
Perennial
Growth Habit:
Tree
Height:
12-20 ft
Light Requirements:
Full Sun
Drought Tolerance:
Medium
Bloom Months:
mar, apr, may, jun, jul, aug
Bloom Colors:
purple, white, yellow

Native Range

United States: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, West Virginia, Canada: Ontario

Host Plant for Caterpillars

Catalpa Sphinx (Ceratomia catalpae), Fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea), White-marked Tussock Moth (Orgyia leucostigma), Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)

Soil Requirements

Soil Type:
rich, well-drained loamy soil
pH:
5.5 - 7.5 (slightly acidic to neutral)
Drainage:
tolerates poor drainage
Moisture:
consistently moist
Notes:
Prefers riverbanks and floodplains in native range

Germination Information

Pre-treatment: Single-step cold-moist stratification for temperate woodland species. for 60–120 days

Source: OpenAI GPT-4o