Can you please tell me what this plant/tree is...it was given to me a few years by a member of the Association when we were members. it was in a gallon pot for several years, then I planted it in the ground and it shot up and finally this year it bloomed..
Thank you...
Bess Ranger


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Jim Guinn (Wednesday, 19 September 2018 03:12)
I believe that is a Royal Empress Tree (Paulownia tomentosa), a.k.a. princess tree or kiri tree. A native of China, paulownia was introduced to this country from Europe in the 1840's, and grown as an ornamental. It is a member of the figwort family and has nine species. I have two of them on my property. Most have light to dark purple or light to dark blue flowers, but I have seen them with white and off-white flowers like yours.
From Wikipedia: "Paulownia tomentosa is a deciduous tree in the family Paulowniaceae, native to central and western China. It is an extremely fast-growing tree, and is a persistent exotic invasive in North America."
SJ Braid (Wednesday, 29 January 2020 13:27)
This may be a Catalpa Tree, more specifically :
Catalpa bignonioides is a species of Catalpa that is native to the southeastern United States in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Common names include southern catalpa, cigartree, and Indian-bean-tree.[1] From Wikipedia