What is this tree?

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What is this tree?

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Bulgarianlily

Joined: 01 Jun 2008
Posts: 1667
Location: South West Mountains of Bulgaria

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 11 7:28 am Post subject: What is this tree?

Ok the easy way would be to take a photo and post it.... but where is the fun in that?

In a town in Bulgaria there is a large tree, the size of a horse chestnut. Right now it is bare of leaves but covered in thick bunches of seed pods, each bunch is about two foot across and from a distance they look almost solid they are so massed together. The seed pods themselves are on short stems, they are about two inches long and oval coming to a point. They have opened by spliting in half to let the seeds out, I couldn't find any seeds on the ground so I assume they are edible to some kind of bird. Inside each half of the seedpod is a dividing wall running from base to tip , so the seeds are going to be like very big beech mast in shape but the pods are smooth and not prickly. The pods and branch are a coffee bean brown. They have a beautiful sculptural quality, which is why I picked it up. The tree is growning in a place with winters down to minus 25 c and long hot dry summers.

I assume this tree is not local to Bulgaria as I haven't seen anything else like it, and it is growing in a place where a specially ornamental tree would be appropriate. Anyone got any ideas? If not I will try and find the camera cable....

hedgehogpie

Joined: 02 May 2006
Posts: 684
Location: Kent

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 11 10:13 am Post subject:

I wonder if it's a Paulownia tormentosa (also called the foxglove tree because of the flower shape). This has large clusters of hollow seedpods roughly the shape of a large pecan nut but a little more pointy at the top. The seeds inside are really tiny papery things and there are thousands of them so they drift off pretty quickly when the hull spilts.

Have a look on google images & see what you think.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 11 10:18 am Post subject:
https://www.rogerstreesandshrubs.com/gallery/DisplayBlock~bid~8134~gid~~source~gallerydefault.asp maybe?

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 11 10:19 am Post subject:
Just found the chooser on the Rogers site: https://www.rogerstreesandshrubs.com/gallery/chooser.asp

Bulgarianlily

Joined: 01 Jun 2008
Posts: 1667
Location: South West Mountains of Bulgaria

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 11 1:31 pm Post subject:
That is it! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PaulowniaTomentosaShell.jpg That is exactly what I have on my desk in front of me. No wonder I couldn't track it down in my books on European trees, it is chinese! AKA Empress Tree, Princess Tree or Foxglove Tree. Thanks I was failing miserably to work it out. Thousands of tiny windbourne seeds, no wonder I couldn't find any under the tree!

yummersetter

Joined: 26 Jan 2008
Posts: 3241
Location: Somerset

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 11 1:37 pm Post subject:
Its my favourite tree - there's a couple in Ravenscourt Park in London that are gorgeous when in flower. Perfumed, too. Oddly I was looking at the Chiltern Seeds catalogue last night and wondering if it would be feasible to grow my own.

hedgehogpie

Joined: 02 May 2006
Posts: 684
Location: Kent

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 11 1:46 pm Post subject:
It's fast growing and the wood is supposed to be light and strong too. A good tree.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 11 1:50 pm Post subject:

Bulgarianlily wrote:

That is it!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PaulowniaTomentosaShell.jpg

That is exactly what I have on my desk in front of me. No wonder I couldn't track it down in my books on European trees, it is chinese! AKA Empress Tree, Princess Tree or Foxglove Tree. Thanks I was failing miserably to work it out. Thousands of tiny windbourne seeds, no wonder I couldn't find any under the tree!

I know of one of those in the middle of Cambridge. Lovely tree, does well in a place with limited soil, throws up a good straight trunk and flowers like a trooper. But eventually, unless it is growing on a good spot, it gets scraggy and unhappy looking if not well cut back.

Although its meant to be a Chinese tree whenever I've asked anyone from China about this tree they haven't recognised it; I don't know how common it is out there, but its not one that they immediately identify with.

You're in for a real treat when it flowers. Beautiful thing.

Bulgarianlily

Joined: 01 Jun 2008
Posts: 1667
Location: South West Mountains of Bulgaria

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 11 7:53 pm Post subject:
On the rare occasions that I pass that way I will keep an eye on it, if I manage to harvest any seed I will let you all know!

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