(Catalpa speciosa)
Family:
Bignoniaceae
Description
Tree with rounded crown of spreading branches. Height is 50–80 ft. (15–24 m). Diameter is 2.5 ft. (0.8 m). Leaves are 6–12 in. (15–30 cm) long and 4–8 in. (10–20 cm) wide, heart-shaped, ovate and without teeth. Dull green above, paler and covered with soft hairs beneath. Leaves turn blackish in autumn. Bark is brownish-gray, smooth, becoming furrowed into scaly plates or ridges. Flowers are 2–2.25 in. (5–6 cm) long and wide, in branched clusters occurring in late spring. Fruit is 8–18” (20–46 cm) long, 0.5–0.63 in. (12–15 mm) in diameter, narrow, cylindrical, dark brown capsule. Fruit matures in autumn and remains attached in winter.
Habitat
Moist valley soils by streams. Naturalized in open areas such as roadsides and clearings. Non-native to New Mexico.
Discussion
This tree is the northernmost New World example of its tropical family. The name “Cigar Tree” comes from its distinctive fruit.