Northern Catalpa
Catalpa speciosa

Family: Bignonia (Bignoniaceae)
AKA: Cigar-tree, Hardy Catalpa, Western Catalpa, Indian Bean
Photo taken on: June 7, 2025
Location: Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones: Plains and foothills
Habitat: Roadsides, yards and clearings

Grows 40 to 60 feet tall, with a narrow, open, irregularly rounded crown and spreading branches. Bark is brownish-gray becoming ridged with age. It has large, heart-shaped leaves and large pyramid-shaped clusters of fragrant, showy, white flowers with ruffled edges. Flowers are large, over 2" long, white with orange stripes and purple spots and stripes inside. The long, bean-like seed pods are 8" to 18" long, turn brown and persist through the winter.

It is native to the mid-West but it has been widely planted in urban areas as a street tree and lawn tree as it grows in moist low spots or dry areas with poor soils.