Empress Tree

Paulownia tomentosa (pa-LOH-nee-a toh-men-TOH-suh)

Family: Paulowniaceae Non-native Canopy (>40 ft)

This plant is problematic and alternatives should be considered. Please see the suggestions in the left-hand column. Native to China, the princess tree is a woody, deciduous, high-maintenance tree in the empress-tree family (Paulowniaceae). It grows rapidly, adding 15 feet each year to reach a mature height of 50 feet and a width of 30 feet in just 10 years. The tree is named for Russian Princess Anna Paulowna (1795–1865), while the species epithet, tomentosa, means “softly hairy” in Latin. It tolerates a range of soils but prefers moist, deep, sandy loam, well-drained soil. It can withstand some light shade but prefers full sun. It is commonly seen along roadsides and other disturbed openings. The tree has a rounded canopy that produces dense shade, making it difficult to grow plants under its shade. The leaves are very large (5 to 12 inches), oval or heart-shaped and have velvety hairs on both the top and underside. Distinguished by large clusters of showy lavender flowers that bloom in spring and are fragrant. Flowers appear on second-year wood. Woody brown seed capsules follow, and in the fall, they break open to release small, winged seeds. The princess tree freely self-seeds in the landscape and is an invasive species in North Carolina. Once it is cut down, it will send up shoots from along the roots, many feet out from the original tree, and is thus difficult to kill. This tree is not recommended for cultivation. Consider one or more of the suggested native alternatives or plants that fill a similar niche listed to the left of this description. 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 NC Invasive Plant Council, North Carolina Forest Service, USDA National Invasive Species Information Center and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 59 attributes.