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Paulownia is a genus of fast-growing hardwood trees from east Asia, with 7 to 17 species depending on classification, and the best-known is Paulownia tomentosa (princess tree). It needs full sun, well-drained soil and room to grow, as it can reach over 30 m tall.
Paulownia ( paw-LOH-nee-ə) is a genus of seven to 17 species of hardwood trees (depending on taxonomic authority) in the family Paulowniaceae, the order Lamiales. The genus and family are native to east Asia and are widespread across China. The genus, originally Pavlovnia but now usually spelled Paulownia, was named in honour of Anna Pavlovna, queen consort of The Netherlands (1795–1865), daughter of Tsar Paul I of Russia. It is also called "princess tree" for the same reason.
It was originally sought after as an exotic ornamental tree in Europe and Asia, and later introduced to North America in 1844. Its fruits (botanically capsules) were also used as packaging material for goods shipped from East Asia to North America, leading to Paulownia groves where they were dumped near major ports.
In China, Paulownia (Chinese: 泡桐; pinyin: pāotóng) is popular for roadside planting and as an ornamental tree. Paulownia needs much light and does not like high water tables.
Paulownia catalpifolia · Paulownia elongata · Dragontree · Sapphire dragon tree · Princesstree
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Paulownia by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
