Small or medium-sized deciduous trees. Twigs thick, round; pith large, round, pale, continuous. Buds solitary, sessile, globose, with about 6 loose scales; terminal bud lacking. Leaf-scars elliptic or round, in whorls, alternately of 2 large scars and 1 small scar, then 1 large scar and 2 small scars; stipule-scars none. Pods long, terete, persistent in winter. Seeds winged all around, the wings ciliate at each end.

Fig. 290. Catalpa speciosa

Fig. 290. Catalpa speciosa.

Fig. 291. Catalpa bignonioides

Fig. 291. Catalpa bignonioides.

a.

Capsules about 1. 5 cm. thick; hairs of the seeds not coming to a point

1.

C. speciosa

a.

Capsules 0. 8-1. 2 cm. thick; hairs of the seeds coming to a point

2.

C. bignonioides

1. C. speciosa Warder.Catawba-Tree. Cigar-Tree. Northern Catalpa. A large tree to 30 m. tall, of pyramidal habit; bark red-brown, broken into thick scales; capsule thick; seeds truncate. Damp woods, Tennessee to Texas, north to Indiana and Iowa; cultivated and naturalized elsewhere (Fig. 290 ).

2. C. bignonioides Walt. Common Catalpa. A low tree to 15 m. high, or taller, with wide-spreading branches forming a broad round head; bark light brown, separating into thin scales; pods slender; seeds pointed. Native of the southern and Gulf states, cultivated and frequently escaped northwards (Fig. 291 ).