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    Home»Herbs and Spices»Facts about Indian Bean Tree – Catalpa bignonioides
    Herbs and Spices

    Facts about Indian Bean Tree – Catalpa bignonioides

    By SylviaJuly 28, 2020Updated:July 29, 2020No Comments12 Mins Read
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    Catalpa bignonioides, commonly known as Indian bean tree or Southern catalpa, is a medium-sized, deciduous tree belonging to the Catalpa or Trumpet-Creeper family (Bignoniaceae). This family consists of more than 700 species distributed around the globe, mostly in tropical and sub-tropical regions. The tree is native to the southeastern United States in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Some of the popular common names of the plant are hardy catalpa, western catalpa, Catawba, Catawba tree, cigar tree, Indian bean tree, Indian cigar, Shawnee wood, early-flowering catalpa, Catalpa, Southern Catalpa, American Catalpa, Bean Tree, Caterpillar Tree, Eastern Catalpa, Fish Bait Tree, Fisherman’s Tree, Katalpa, Lady Cigar, Smoking Bean and Worm Tree. Genus name comes from a North American Indian name. Specific epithet means resembling the genus Bignonia.

    Plant Description

    Indian Bean Tree is a small to medium sized, fast growing, moderately short-lived deciduous tree with a wide, spreading, round-headed crown that normally grows about 15–18 meters (49–59 ft.) tall, with a trunk up to 1 meter (3 ft. 3 in) diameter. The plant is found growing in rich moist soils by the sides of streams and rivers, Stream banks, gravel bars, road cuts, bottom land forests, and fence rows. The plant grows best on open, moist, well drained alkaline and deep soils, but can grow across a range of moisture regimes once established. The roots are fibrous and branches are brittle. Its juices are watery and bitter. Roots are poisonous and should not be handled or composted. The wood is of moderately light density (specific gravity 0.42 oven dry), with pale gray sapwood and grayish brown heartwood. It has a faint, aromatic, non-characteristic odor and no characteristic taste. It is ring porous, coarse-grained, soft, not strong, but very durable in contact with the soil.

    Indian Bean Tree Facts

    Indian Bean Tree Quick Facts
    Name: Indian Bean Tree
    Scientific Name: Catalpa bignonioides
    Origin Southeastern United States in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi
    Colors Green when young turning to brownish as they matures
    Shapes Long slender capsule, nearly cylindrical, two-celled, partition at right angles to the valves
    Taste Bitter
    Health benefits Good for whooping cough, asthma, bronchitis, malaria, wounds and abrasions, trachoma, conjunctivitis, scrofulous ulcers, cancer and problems with the respiratory tract
    Name Indian bean tree
    Scientific Name Catalpa bignonioides
    Native Southeastern United States in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi
    Common Names Hardy catalpa, western catalpa, Catawba, Catawbatree, cigar tree, Indian bean tree, Indian cigar, Shawnee wood, early-flowering catalpa, Catalpa, Southern Catalpa, American Catalpa, Bean Tree, Caterpillar Tree, Eastern Catalpa, Fish Bait Tree, Fisherman’s Tree, Katalpa, Lady Cigar, Smoking Bean, Worm Tree
    Name in Other Languages Afrikaans: Catalpa          
    Albanian: Catalpa, katalpë          
    Amharic: Katapapa (ካታፓፓ)
    Arabic: Katalibana (كاتالبا), kitabat binyunia (كتلبة بنيونية)
    Armenian: Katalpa (կատալպա), Katalpa bignonianman (Կատալպա բիգնոնիանման)
    Azerbaijani: Katalpa      
    Bengali: Catalpa
    Bulgarian: Katalpa (каталпа), bignonieva katalpa (бигнониева каталпа)
    Burmese: Catalpa
    Catalan: Catalpa
    Chinese: Qiū (楸), Mei guo zi,  Mei guo zi shu,  Nan fang zi
    Croatian: Catalpa, Katalpa
    Czech: Catalpa, Katalpa bignóniovitá, Katalpa truba, Katalpa trubachovitá, katalpa trubačovitá    
    Danish: Catalpa, Almindelig trompetkrone, Trompetkrone, Trompettræ               
    Dutch: Catalpa, Groene trompetboom, Trompetboom, gewone trompetboom
    English: Catalpa                , Catawba, Caterpillar tree, Cigartree, Common catalpa, Eastern catalpa, Fish-bait tree, Indian-bean, Smoking-bean, Southern catalpa, Indian-bean-tree
    Esperanto: Catalpa
    Espanol: Indian-bean, Indian-bean-tree, Catawba, Cigartree, Common catalpa, Smoking-bean, Southern catalpa, Cigar tree
    Estonian: Katalpa            
    Filipino: Catalpa
    Finnish: Catalpa, Alabamantrumpettipuu
    French: Catalpa , Arbre aux haricots, Catalpa commun, Catalpa de Caroline, Catalpa de la Caroline
    Georgian: k’at’alp’a (კატალპა)
    German: Catalpa, Gewöhnlicher Trompetenbaum, Trompetenbau, Amerikanischer Trompetenbaum, Gewöhnlicher Trompetenbaum, Trompetenbaum, Zigarrenbaum
    Greek: Katalápa (Καταλάπα)
    Gujarati: Ka catṭalpā (ક catટલ્પા)
    Hausa: Catalpa 
    Hebrew: קטלפה   , קטלפה ביגנונית
    Hindi: Catalpa
    Hungarian: Catalpa, Szívlevelű szivarfa
    Icelandic: Catalpa           
    Indonesian: Catalpa       
    Irish: Catalpa     
    Italian: Catalpa, Bignonia catalpa, Catalpa americana, Catalpa commune, albero dei sigari
    Japanese: Zǐ (梓), Amerika ki sasage (アメリカキササゲ)
    Javanese: Catalpa           
    Kannada: Kyāṭalpā (ಕ್ಯಾಟಲ್ಪಾ)
    Kazakh: Katalpa (каталпа)
    Korean: Katal pa (카탈 파), Kkot gae o dong
    Kurdish: Catalpa              
    Lao: Catalpa-kəˈtalpə
    Latin: Catalpa    
    Latvian: Katalpa               
    Lithuanian: Katalpa
    Macedonian: Katalpa (Каталпа)
    Malagasy: Catalpa
    Malay: Catalpa 
    Malayalam: Catalpa-kəˈtalpə
    Maltese: Catalpa             
    Marathi:  Kĕṭalapā (कॅटलपा)
    Mongolian: Katalpa (каталпа)
    Nepali: Catalpa
    Norwegian: Catalpa, Vanlig trompettre
    Oriya: Catalpa   
    Pashto: کټالټا               
    Persian: کاتالپا, جوالدوزک
    Polish: Surmia, Katalpa zwyczajna, Surmia zwyczajna, Surmia bignoniowa, katalpa bignoniowa
    Portuguese: Catalpa, árvore-das-trombetas       
    Punjabi: Kaiṭālapā (ਕੈਟਾਲਪਾ)
    Romanian: Catalpa
    Russian: Katalpa (катальпа), Katal’pa bignonievaia, Katal’pa bignonievidnaia (катальпа бигнониевидная)
    Serbian: Catalpa (цаталпа)
    Sindhi: ڪئٽيلپا
    Sinhala: Catalpa
    Slovak: Katalpa bignóniovitá
    Slovenian: Katalpa, Ameriška katalpa
    Spanish: Catalpa, Catalpa común, Árbol indio     
    Sudanese: Catalpa
    Swedish: Catalpa, Katalpa, trumpetträd
    Tajik: Katalpa (каталпа)
    Tamil: Catalpa
    Telugu: Catalpa
    Thai: Catalpa
    Turkish: Katalpa               
    Ukranian: Katalpa (катальпа), Katalʹpa bihnoniyevydna (Катальпа бігнонієвидна)
    Urdu: کیٹالپا
    Uzbek: Katalpa 
    Vietnamese: Catalpa     
    Welsh: Catalpa
    Zulu: Ikati
    Plant Growth Habit Small to medium sized, fast growing, moderately short-lived deciduous tree
    Growing Climates Rich moist soils by the sides of streams and rivers, Stream banks, gravel bars, road cuts, bottomland forests, and fence rows
    Soil Grows best on open, moist, well drained alkaline and deep soils, but can grow across a range of moisture regimes once established
    Plant Size 15–18 meters (49–59 ft.) tall, with a trunk up to 1 meter (3 ft. 3 in) diameter
    Root Fibrous and branches are brittle, its juices are watery and bitter tasting
    Wood Light brown, sapwood nearly white; light, soft, coarse-grained and durable in contact with the soil
    Bark Young bark is smooth, dark-grayish, and spotted with lighter colored excrescences while older barks are scaly, brown, and from 3 to 6 lines in thickness
    Leaf Leaves are large, deciduous, simple, and broadly heart-shaped. Leaf margins are smooth, entire or slightly wavy
    Flowering season June to July
    Flower Trumpet shaped flowers are white in color with gold lines and purple spots within the throat.
    Fruit Shape & Size Long, slender, thin-walled, pod-like, two-celled capsules which dangle from ends of twigs. They look like long, thin, cylindrical pencils or cigars about 20–40 cm long and 8–10 mm diameter
    Fruit Color Green when young turning to brownish as they matures
    Propagation By Seed
    Lifespan 50–150 years (depending on conditions)
    Seed Seeds with wings are 1-2 inches long and 1/4 – 1/3 inch wide. They have a light brown coat and wings rounded at the ends terminating in a fringe of short hairs
    Taste Bitter
    Season October to December
    Precautions
    • The roots are highly poisonous.

    Twigs

    Southern catalpa twigs are thick, stout, and brittle. Twigs are minutely hairy and pale orange to brownish-grey in color. Many short crooked twigs and branches support a wide-spreading, irregular crown. Lenticels are clearly present on twig surfaces, and are large, pale and numerous. The terminal bud is absent and lateral buds are small (1/16 inches long), sunken, brown, and solitary with six overlapping bud scales. Twig pith is solid and white in color. Usually 10-12 vascular bundle scars are clearly visible in a circle-shape within the leaf scar. Leaf scars occur 2-3 per node. Neighboring leaf scars on the same node are not connected by lines and there are no stipular scars. Southern catalpa stem periderm is light reddish brown to grey in color. Periderm on young trees begins smooth and thin, eventually flaking off into thin, narrow scales

    Bark

    Tree bark ranges from scaly to ridged, to blocky plates. On a mature tree trunk the bark may be from ¾ to 1 inch thick, light grayish brown in color, and broken into longitudinal, scaly, flat ridges. On young tree seedlings the bark is thin and easily damaged by impact, or rodents.

    Leaves

    Two to three leaves grow from each node (an opposite or whorled leaf arrangement). Leaves are large, deciduous, simple, and broadly heart-shaped. Leaf margins are smooth, entire or slightly wavy. The leaf tip has an abruptly sharp point. The leaf base is heart-shaped and can occasionally have two small basal lobes. Leaves are connected to twigs with a long petiole that is about 3-6 inches long. Leaves are 5-10 inches long and 3-8 inches wide. Leaves are a bright medium green color and smooth on top, and paler green and slightly hairy (i.e. with trichomes) on the underside. Undersides of leaves are especially hairy on veins, with leaf hairs turning black by fall. Leaves produce an unpleasant aromatic odor when crushed. Leaves may scorch and drop during droughts. They turn an undistinguished yellow in the fall before dropping. They secrete nectar, a most unusual characteristic for leaves, by means of groups of tiny glands in the axils of the primary veins.

    Flowers

    Flowers of Indian bean tree are large, white, and showy, blooming just after leaves have expanded. Trees are normally cosexual (a tree having both sexual parts in one flower) with perfect flowers. Flowers are slightly fragrant, and 1 to 1.5 inches long and wide. Flowering occurs from June to July in large upright, pyramid-shaped flower clusters 7-11 inches tall and wide. Flowers are predominately white with a bell or tube shape. Each flower has a variety of yellow to orange, and purple to purple-brown lines, markings, or spots on its inner surfaces. Flower tubes each have five unequal, rounded, and fringed lobes with two upper lobes larger than the three lower lobes. The lowest or bottom-most lobe is not notched. Flower has two visible ridges and presents two rows of yellow-orange spots (or stripes) as well as many purple spots on the inner side of the flower tube and lower lobe. There are two fertile stamens present. Flowers are good for honey production.

    Indian bean tree Image Gallery
    Bark-of-Indian-bean-tree Bark-of-Indian-bean-tree
    Closer-view-of-flowers-of-Indian-bean-tree Closer-view-of-flowers-of-Indian-bean-tree
    Flowers-of-Indian-bean-tree Flowers-of-Indian-bean-tree
    Immature-Fruits-of-Indian-bean-tree Immature-Fruits-of-Indian-bean-tree
    Indian-bean-tree-Tree Indian-bean-tree-Tree
    Leaves-of-Indian-bean-tree Leaves-of-Indian-bean-tree
    Mature-fruits-of-Indian-bean-tree Mature-fruits-of-Indian-bean-tree
    Plant-Illustration-of-Indian-bean-tree Plant-Illustration-of-Indian-bean-tree
    Seeds-of-Indian-bean-tree Seeds-of-Indian-bean-tree
    Sketch-of-Indian-bean-tree Sketch-of-Indian-bean-tree
    Trunk-of-Indian-bean-tree Trunk-of-Indian-bean-tree
    Twig-of-Indian-bean-tree Twig-of-Indian-bean-tree

    Fruit

    Fertile flowers are followed by long, slender, thin-walled, pod-like, two-celled capsules which dangle from ends of twigs. They look like long, thin, cylindrical pencils or cigars about 20–40 cm long and 8–10 mm diameter. Fruits are initially green which dries to a brownish color and eventually splits along two lengthwise seams. Fruits mature by October and are held on a tree until spring. Inside each fruit are many papery, thin, flat seeds with two long-pointed wings which have tufts of fringe hairs on each end.

    Seeds with wings are 1-2 inches long and 1/4 – 1/3 inch wide. They have a light brown coat and wings rounded at the ends terminating in a fringe of short hairs. There are approximately 20,480 seeds per pound. Seeds which are collected after overwintering in the mature seedpod have a higher germination rate than those collected in the fall and stored.

    Traditional uses and benefits of Indian bean tree

    • Tea made from the bark has been used as an antiseptic, antidote to snake bites, laxative, sedative and vermifuge.
    • It has been used with advantage in preparations with other herbs for the treatment of whooping cough in children.
    • It is also used to treat asthma and spasmodic coughs in children.
    • Bark has been used as a substitute for quinine in treating malaria.
    • Leaves are used as a poultice on wounds and abrasions.
    • Tea made from the seeds is used in the treatment of asthma and bronchitis and is applied externally to wounds.
    • Pods are sedative and are thought to have cardio-active properties.
    • Distilled water made from the pods, mixed with eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis) and rue (Ruta graveolens) is a valuable eye lotion in the treatment of trachoma and conjunctivitis.
    • Pods and seeds have been used in decoction in chronic bronchial affections, spasmodic asthma, and dyspnea, and certain forms of functional heart disease.
    • Leaves, bruised, and applied as a cataplasm, have been used in irritable scrofulous ulcers.
    • Bark has been used internally, in powder, or in decoction, in scrofulous maladies, and as an anthelmintic.
    • Juice of the leaves, as well as of the root, has been beneficially used as a local application in the several forms of strumous ophthalmia, as well as in certain cutaneous affections.
    • Teas and poultices made from the bark and leaves are often used in herbal medicine to treat skin wounds and abrasions, infections, snake bites, and even malaria.
    • Fruits and leaves of catalpa can be used for cancer and problems with the respiratory tract.

    Other facts

    • A fast-growing tree with an extensive root system, it has been planted on land that is subject to landslips or erosion in order to stabilize the soil.
    • It is highly valued for posts and fencing rails, and is also used for interior finishes, cabinet work etc.
    • Trees begin to flower by age seven and are usually producing good seed crops by age 10.
    • The largest trees found measure 70 feet tall by 70 feet wide in Texas, and 75 feet by 75 feet in Mississippi.
    • In summer, you can identify the tree by its white colored blossom/flowers.
    • In autumn, you can identify it by the brown pods.

    References:

    https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=34313#null

    https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=9581

    https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Catalpa+bignonioides

    http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b962

    http://www.floracatalana.net/catalpa-bignonioides-walt

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalpa_bignonioides

    https://www.warnell.uga.edu/sites/default/files/inline-files/ITS%20-%20Southern%20Catalpa%20-%20The%20Fish%20Bait%20Tree%20ARBOR-17.pdf

    http://tn-grin.nat.tn/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=9581

    https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/CTLBI

    https://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Indian%20Bean%20Tree.html

    https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=CABI8

    http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-320352

    https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/catalpa/bignonioides/

    https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/kings/catalpa.html

    https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_casp8.pdf

    https://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2057

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    Indian bean tree Scientific Classification

    Scientific Name: Catalpa bignonioides

    Rank Scientific Name & (Common Name)
    Kingdom Plantae (Plants)
    Subkingdom Tracheobionta (Vascular plants)
    Infrakingdom Streptophyta  (land plants)
    Super Division Spermatophyta (Seed plants)
    Division Magnoliophyta (Flowering plants)
    Sub Division Spermatophytina  (spermatophytes, seed plants, phanérogames)
    Class Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledons)
    Sub Class Asteridae
    Super Order Asteranae
    Order Scrophulariales
    Family Bignoniaceae (Trumpet-creeper family)
    Genus Catalpa Scop. (catalpa)
    Species Catalpa bignonioides Walter (southern catalpa)
    Synonyms
    • Bignonia catalpa L.
    • Bignonia spectabilis Salisb.
    • Bignonia triloba T. Freeman & Custis
    • Catalpa arborea Baill.
    • Catalpa bignonioides f. aurea Bureau
    • Catalpa bignonioides f. koehnei (Hesse) Dode
    • Catalpa bignonioides f. nana Bureau
    • Catalpa bignonioides f. powdery bean
    • Catalpa bignonioides f. rehderi paclt
    • Catalpa bignonioides f. Bureau variegate
    • Catalpa catalpa (L.) H.Karst.
    • Catalpa communis Dum.Cours.
    • Catalpa cordifolia Moench
    • Catalpa syringaefolia Sims, 1808
    • Catalpa syringifolia Sims
    • Catalpa syringifolia var. koehnei Hesse
    • Catalpa ternifolia Cav.
    • Catalpa umbraculifera Ugolini
    • Catalpium amen Raf.
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