catalpa

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Related to catalpas: Catalpa tree, Southern Catalpa

catalpa

southern catalpa

Catalpa bignonioides

ca·tal·pa

(kə-tăl′pə, -tôl′-)

Any of various usually deciduous trees of the genus Catalpa of North America, the West Indies, and East Asia, especially C. bignonioides or C. speciosa of the United States, having large heart-shaped leaves, showy clusters of white flowers, and long slender pods.

[Creek katal̷pa : ka-, head + tal̷pa, wing (from the shape of its flowers).]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

catalpa

(kəˈtælpə)

(Plants) any bignoniaceous tree of the genus Catalpa of North America and Asia, having large leaves, bell-shaped whitish flowers, and long slender pods

[C18: New Latin, from Carolina Creek kutuhlpa, literally: winged head, referring to the appearance of the flowers]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ca•tal•pa

(kəˈtæl pə)

n., pl. -pas.

any of several trees of the genus Catalpa, of the bignonia family, native to North America and E Asia, having white flower clusters and long, beanlike seed pods.

[1720–30, Amer.; (< New Latin) < Creek katałpa <iká head + tałpa wing]

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Noun

catalpa - tree of the genus Catalpa with large leaves and white flowers followed by long slender pods

Indian bean

genus Catalpa - a dicotyledonous genus of plants belonging to the family Bignoniaceae; has large flowers (white or mottled) and long terete pods

Catalpa bignioides - catalpa tree of southern United States

Catalpa speciosa - catalpa tree of central United States

bean tree - any of several trees having seedpods as fruits

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Sometimes I went south to visit our German neighbours and to admire their catalpa grove, or to see the big elm tree that grew up out of a deep crack in the earth and had a hawk's nest in its branches.

View in context

The motionless figure of a man leaning against a gigantic catalpa twenty feet off appeared, half-veiled by the foliage.

View in context

Who knew that some tree species such as birches, elms and catalpas are highly sensitive to artificial light?

Light pollution not right for arboretum

Frost damage is apparent on the emerged leaves of magnolias and catalpas. Likely other trees and shrubs have also been affected, but these two are outside my door and their damage cannot be ignored.

The second magnolia, a sweet bay, suffered some damage to newly opened leaves as did two Northern Catalpa. The catalpas are Zone 4 plants that should not be troubled by New England spring weather.

Weather confuses gardeners and plants

I first came across the northern catalpa when I lived in the West End of Vancouver, and even though I walked and rode my bike in Stanley Park almost every day, my favourite trees were the catalpas which lined many of the boulevards of the West End.

Within their native range, northern catalpas are large, stately trees that can reach 30 metres (100 ft.) in height.

The Northern Catalpa in Winnipeg

When thinking trees consider the underused Catalpa. Known years ago as "Indian Bean" because of its long pod-like fruit or "Umbrella Catalpa" because of the form of grafted specimens, the Catalpas are native to the United States.

Trees add color to landscape; They provide added color in the summer

Catalpas have ragged crowns of coarse-textured branches adorned with huge heart-shaped leaves, big enough that a catalpa leaf once served as an impromptu umbrella for my two-year-old daughter during an afternoon shower.

The can't-win catalpa

tree was obvious, catalpa, its long three-branching trunks splayed like

What Is a Weed?

Fishermen are particularly fond of this tree, which hosts the catalpa sphinx caterpillar, popular as fish bait since the 1870s.

The showy northern catalpa

Of the many possible alternatives, two of my personal choices are the Kentucky coffee tree (Gynoclodus dioicus) and catalpa (C.