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Paulownia
Paulownia (/pɔːˈloʊniə/ paw-LOH-nee-ə) is a genus of seven to 17 species of hardwood trees (depending on taxonomic authority) in the family Paulowniaceae, the order Lamiales. The genus and family are native to east Asia and are widespread across China. The genus, originally Pavlovnia but now usually spelled Paulownia, was named in honour of Anna Pavlovna, queen consort of The Netherlands (1795–1865), daughter of Tsar Paul I of Russia. It is also called "princess tree" for the same reason.
It was originally sought after as an exotic ornamental tree in Europe and Asia, and later introduced to North America in 1844. Its fruits (botanically capsules) were also used as packaging material for goods shipped from East Asia to North America, leading to Paulownia groves where they were dumped near major ports. The tree has not persisted prominently in US gardens, in part due to its overwintering brown fruits that some consider ugly. In some areas it has escaped cultivation and is found in disturbed plots. Some US authorities consider the genus an invasive species, but in Europe, where it is also grown in gardens, it is not regarded as invasive.
Paulownia trees produce as many as 20 million tiny seeds per year. However, the seeds are very susceptible to soil biota and only colonize well on sterile soils (such as after a high temperature wildfire). Well-drained soil is also essential. Successful plantations usually purchase plants that have been professionally propagated from root cuttings or seedlings. Although seeds, seedlings, and roots of even mature trees are susceptible to rot, the wood is not and is used for boat building and surfboards.
Dimensionally stable and given its straight grain and light weight, Paulownia timber is extremely easy to work with and is reported to be resistant to decay, with good weathering characteristics.
Trees can grow to maturity in under 10 years and produce strong, lightweight timber, good as firewood, and with an even higher strength to weight ratio than balsa wood. Its density is low at around 0.28 kilograms per liter (2.8 lb/imp gal), although significantly higher than balsa's very low 0.16 kilograms per liter (1.6 lb/imp gal).
Paulownia is a genus of angiosperm trees, and one of the fastest-growing trees in the world. Paulownia tomentosa can grow over 30 metres (98 ft) tall and has large heart shaped leaves ranging from 10–20 centimetres (4–8 in) wide and 15–30 centimetres (6–12 in) long with a 10–20 centimetres (4–8 in)-long petiole. The leaves grow in opposite decussate pairs, and as the name tomentosa suggests, are covered in hairs. The leaf margin can be toothed or entire and sometimes may be slightly lobed. They can be distinguished from common look-alike genera, such as Catalpa and Cercis, by secondary and tertiary venation. The leaves are late to come in on the tree and late to fall from the typically deciduous Paulownia. However, in tropical areas, the tree can be evergreen.
The leaves are often preceded by pale violet to purple-shaded tubular flowers, similar to a foxglove. Like most members of the Lamiales, the flowers are zygomorphic. The inflorescences are terminal erect 15–30 centimetres (6–12 in)-long panicles of ~5 centimetres (2 in) long flowers. The thick, fused calyx is covered by a brown hairy indumentum, and the fused calyx tube is the same length as its calyx lobes, except in P. catalpifolia and P. elongata, in which the lobes are shorter than the calyx tubes. The corolla has five fused lobes with a shorter adaxial bilobed lip, and a somewhat longer abaxial trilobed lower lip. The lips of all the petals are curled and their surface tomentose.
On the inner side of the lower trilobed corolla tube run two light-yellow folded ridges from the calyx to the lip. They are interpreted as floral guides to the top of the corolla tube. Inside the corolla tube, and approximately halfway down, are four stamen filaments fused to the petals at the base, with two being longer than the others. At the bottom of the corolla tube is a short corolla-stamen tube. The base of the stamen filaments are bent so that they run along the upper portion of the flower with the arrow shaped anthers then depositing pollen on the dorsal side of a variety of pollen-feeding insects.
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Paulownia
Paulownia (/pɔːˈloʊniə/ paw-LOH-nee-ə) is a genus of seven to 17 species of hardwood trees (depending on taxonomic authority) in the family Paulowniaceae, the order Lamiales. The genus and family are native to east Asia and are widespread across China. The genus, originally Pavlovnia but now usually spelled Paulownia, was named in honour of Anna Pavlovna, queen consort of The Netherlands (1795–1865), daughter of Tsar Paul I of Russia. It is also called "princess tree" for the same reason.
It was originally sought after as an exotic ornamental tree in Europe and Asia, and later introduced to North America in 1844. Its fruits (botanically capsules) were also used as packaging material for goods shipped from East Asia to North America, leading to Paulownia groves where they were dumped near major ports. The tree has not persisted prominently in US gardens, in part due to its overwintering brown fruits that some consider ugly. In some areas it has escaped cultivation and is found in disturbed plots. Some US authorities consider the genus an invasive species, but in Europe, where it is also grown in gardens, it is not regarded as invasive.
Paulownia trees produce as many as 20 million tiny seeds per year. However, the seeds are very susceptible to soil biota and only colonize well on sterile soils (such as after a high temperature wildfire). Well-drained soil is also essential. Successful plantations usually purchase plants that have been professionally propagated from root cuttings or seedlings. Although seeds, seedlings, and roots of even mature trees are susceptible to rot, the wood is not and is used for boat building and surfboards.
Dimensionally stable and given its straight grain and light weight, Paulownia timber is extremely easy to work with and is reported to be resistant to decay, with good weathering characteristics.
Trees can grow to maturity in under 10 years and produce strong, lightweight timber, good as firewood, and with an even higher strength to weight ratio than balsa wood. Its density is low at around 0.28 kilograms per liter (2.8 lb/imp gal), although significantly higher than balsa's very low 0.16 kilograms per liter (1.6 lb/imp gal).
Paulownia is a genus of angiosperm trees, and one of the fastest-growing trees in the world. Paulownia tomentosa can grow over 30 metres (98 ft) tall and has large heart shaped leaves ranging from 10–20 centimetres (4–8 in) wide and 15–30 centimetres (6–12 in) long with a 10–20 centimetres (4–8 in)-long petiole. The leaves grow in opposite decussate pairs, and as the name tomentosa suggests, are covered in hairs. The leaf margin can be toothed or entire and sometimes may be slightly lobed. They can be distinguished from common look-alike genera, such as Catalpa and Cercis, by secondary and tertiary venation. The leaves are late to come in on the tree and late to fall from the typically deciduous Paulownia. However, in tropical areas, the tree can be evergreen.
The leaves are often preceded by pale violet to purple-shaded tubular flowers, similar to a foxglove. Like most members of the Lamiales, the flowers are zygomorphic. The inflorescences are terminal erect 15–30 centimetres (6–12 in)-long panicles of ~5 centimetres (2 in) long flowers. The thick, fused calyx is covered by a brown hairy indumentum, and the fused calyx tube is the same length as its calyx lobes, except in P. catalpifolia and P. elongata, in which the lobes are shorter than the calyx tubes. The corolla has five fused lobes with a shorter adaxial bilobed lip, and a somewhat longer abaxial trilobed lower lip. The lips of all the petals are curled and their surface tomentose.
On the inner side of the lower trilobed corolla tube run two light-yellow folded ridges from the calyx to the lip. They are interpreted as floral guides to the top of the corolla tube. Inside the corolla tube, and approximately halfway down, are four stamen filaments fused to the petals at the base, with two being longer than the others. At the bottom of the corolla tube is a short corolla-stamen tube. The base of the stamen filaments are bent so that they run along the upper portion of the flower with the arrow shaped anthers then depositing pollen on the dorsal side of a variety of pollen-feeding insects.