Catalpa ovata
Common names: Chinese catalpa, Japanese catalpa, yellow catalpa
Catalpa ovata is native to China and related to C. speciosa and C. bignoniodes 'Aurea' in our garden. It is a medium-size deciduous tree, and the blooms are yellowish, followed by long bean-like seed pods. The oval leaves ('ovata') are similar to those of the paulownia tree. Our specimen is found in bed 74 where the path intersects. It is suckering from the rootstock which does not appear to be C. ovata. Synonym: C. kaempferi.
For more information on catalpas, see Garden Story, August 28, 2010.
Flower & tree photos Peter Coxhead / CC0 in Birmingham Botanic Garden
Leaves and pods photo Victor Grigas / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
Other photos taken in the garden.