Paulownia tomentosa Seeds - Foxglove Tree

Everything about the Paulownia tomentosa, also known as the Imperial Tree, is impressive and majestic. Its giant heart-shaped leaves, its rapid growth, and also its large clusters of mauve trumpet-shaped flowers with a violet scent that appear before the leaves. This large deciduous tree develops very dense foliage, above almost all black branches. If it is pruned back, it will produce stems of 3 m (9 ft 10 in) within the year, but will not flower. Very hardy, resistant to pollution, it tolerates almost all climates, and ordinary, deep soil, even clayey and chalky.

The Paulownia tomentosa is a large deciduous tree from the Scrophulariaceae family, native to China, Korea and Japan. It has a spreading habit and can grow up to 20 m (65 ft 7 in) high. In our climate, it will grow to 12 m (39 ft 5 in), with a spread of 10 m (32 ft 10 in). Its species name, tomentosa, comes from the fine down that covers its branches and the underside of its large leaves. They are heart-shaped, opposite, with long petioles, measuring from 20 to 30 cm (7.9 to 11.8 in) in length. Their colour is pale green. The tree produces its first flowering about eight years after sowing, on 2-year-old branches. It appears before the leaves bud, in April-May. The flowers are gathered in panicles of 20 to 30 cm (7.9 to 11.8 in) long. Their trumpet shape evokes those of the Catalpa or the foxglove. They are mauve with a white inside and give off a sweet violet scent. The flowering is followed by the formation of solid, oval-shaped and pointed catkins, remaining in winter, and measuring up to 5 cm (2 in) long.

The Paulownia is a superb ornamental tree that is ideal for large gardens, planted in rows or as a standalone plant. In a very cold climate, it can also be treated as a coppice, cutting back the tree each year at the end of winter. In this case, it will regrow from the base and form 3 m (9 ft 10 in) stems covered with immense 60 cm (23.6 in) long leaves within the year, without producing flowers. Its roots are not dangerous for foundations, so they can be considered for planting not far from terraces and boundary walls.