Catalpa bignonioides - Indian Bean Tree

Indian Bean Tree is a medium-sized deciduous tree growing up to 15-18 m tall, with a trunk up to 1 m diameter, with brown to gray bark, maturing into hard plates or ridges. The short thick trunk supports long and straggling branches which form a broad and irregular head. The roots are fibrous and branches are brittle. Its juices are watery and bitter. The leaves are large and heart shaped, being 20-30 cm long and 15-20 cm broad. The flowers are 2.5-4 cm across, trumpet shaped, white with yellow spots inside; they grow in panicles of 20-40. Flowers are white, spotted with purple and gold, and some of these spots are arranged in lines along a ridge, so as to lead directly to the honey inside. A single flower when fully expanded is two inches long and an inch and a half wide. It is two-lipped and the lips are lobed, two lobes above and three below, as is not uncommon with such flowers. The fruit is a long, thin bean like pod 20-40 cm long and 8-10 mm diameter; it often stays attached to tree during winter. The pod contains numerous flat light brown seeds with two papery wings. Indian Bean Tree is native to the United States, cultivated elsewhere.