booker street

i think it's paulownia

i think the solution to this puzzle lies in the two visual characteristics that distinguis these trees.: whether the tree blooms prior to leafing out and what shape the seed pods take.

the trees that i have been admiring bloom out prior to leafing out (which makes them so striking) and have clusters of round seed pods. the catalpa tree apparently blooms after it has leafed out and has bean-shaped seed pods. therefore this tree must be the paulownia.

i have just learned that paulownia tomentosa was named after a Russian princess, Anna Paulownia, by a Dutch botanist. it also has several colloquial names, such as royal paulownia tree, princess tree, empress tree, international tree and blue catalpa.

did you know that tomentose (feminine variant tomentosa) means covered in thickly matted, wooly hairs.

so i feel confident that i have solved my mystery. thank you for your attention!

posted by bls @ 4:44 PM