Royal Empress Tree Paulownia tomentosa
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- pa-LOH-nee-a toh-men-TOH-suh
- This plant is an invasive species in North Carolina
- Description
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This plant is problematic and alternatives should be considered. Please see the suggestions in the left-hand column.
Native to Eastern Asia the princess tree is a deciduous fast growing tree in the Paulowniaceae family. The tree is named in honor of Russian Princess Anna Paulowna (1795-1865), while the species name tomentosa means hairy in Latin. This shade tree grows rapidly adding 15 feet each year to reach a mature height of 50 feet and width of 30 feet in just 10 years. It is considered one of the fastest growing trees in the world.
The leaves of this plant are large and velvety soft looking very much like those on a catalpa tree. Flowers appear on second year wood are light purple pink, showy, and smell like vanilla. Woody brown seed capsules follow and in the fall they break open to reveal winged seeds.
It tolerates a range of soils including low fertility and high acidity but prefers moist, deep, sandy-loam well-drained soil. While it can withstand some light shade it prefers full sun. Air pollution and coastal conditions do not bother this tree in the slightest and it self seeds very easily in the landscape. The canopy produces dense shade making it difficult to grow plants underneath and it competes with native plants for nutrients and water. This tree is not recommended for landscape planting.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Flower buds can suffer frost damage in the early spring. This plant is weedy, messy, has weak wood and is listed as an invasive species by the North Carolina Forest Service, USDA National Invasive Species Information Center; the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Alba'
- 'Alba'
- 'Alba'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Alba'
- 'Alba'
- 'Alba'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Paulownia
- Species:
- tomentosa
- Family:
- Paulowniaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Used in paper, veneer, hand-carvings, clogs, musical instruments, furniture, rice pots, water pails, bowls, and spoons and has medicinal uses in Asia.
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- China
- Edibility:
- Flowers are edible, add them to salad as a colorful garnish.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 30 ft. 0 in. - 50 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 20 ft. 0 in. - 30 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Edible
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Dense
- Rounded
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- High
- Texture:
- Coarse
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 24-60 feet
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 5a, 5b, 6b, 6a, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9b, 9a
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Green
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Capsule
- Fruit Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Description:
- 1"-1.5" long woody oval dehiscent capsule containing thousands of small winged seeds. Immature capsules are sticky green turning brown in the fall.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Pink
- Purple/Lavender
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Panicle
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Fragrant
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Shape:
- Funnel
- Tubular
- Flower Petals:
- fused petals
- Flower Size:
- 1-3 inches
- Flower Description:
- Large showy upright clusters 14" long of funnel or tube-like 1.5-2 inch long fragrant, edible, flowers appear in the spring. Pale violet to pink with dark spots and yellow stripes; vanilla scented. Flowers resemble foxglove.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Velvety
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Cordate
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Opposite simple oval or heart-shaped 5-12 inch with velvety hairs on both sides, pale in color on the underside, resemble catalpa leaves.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Light Brown
- Light Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Fissured
- Lenticels
- Bark Description:
- Thin greyish brown with shallow fissured bark and lenticles.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Gray/Silver
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Problems:
- Invasive Species
- Messy
- Weak Wood
- Weedy
