Paulownia tomentosa
| Paulownia tomentosa | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 49' |
| Width: | 33' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Late Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Paulownia tomentosa (common name: foxglove tree)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[1]. Sow stored seed in late winter in a greenhouse at 15 - 20°c[2]. The seed requires light for germination[1]. Fair to good germination. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Overwinter in a cold frame for its first year and plant out in late spring[1].
Root cuttings 4cm long in December. Good percentage[2].
Cultivation: Requires a deep moderately fertile moisture retentive but well-drained soil in a sunny sheltered position[3][1]. Plants are tolerant of atmospheric pollution[1].
A very ornamental and fast growing plant[3].
The flower buds are formed in autumn and can be excited into premature growth during mild winter weather, this growth is then more susceptible to frost damage[4][3]. The flower buds are hardy to about -15°c when dormant[1]. Plants, and especially seedlings less than 2 years old, are frost tender when young[3][1]. They do not flower reliably in maritime zones, this is probably due to insufficient warmth and dryness in the summer[1].
Branches tend to be brittle[1].
The flowers have a delicate sweet fragrance[5].
Trees can be coppiced annually, they will then produce very vigorous growth with leaves up to 1 metre wide[3].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[1].
Range: E. Asia - China.
Habitat: Woods, 1300 - 2000 metres in W. China[6].
Edibility: Leaves - cooked. An emergency food, used when all else fails[7][8].
Flowers[7]. Eaten with miso[8].
Medicinal: A decoction of the leaves is used to wash foul ulcers and is also said to promote the growth of hair and prevent greying[9][10]. The leaves are also poulticed onto bruises[9]. The leaf juice is used in the treatment of warts[9][10].
The flowers are used in the treatment of skin ailments[11][9].
A tincture of the inner bark is used in the treatment of fevers and delirium[9]. It is astringent and vermifuge[11][9].
Usage: Wood - not attacked by insects. Used for making boxes, clogs, furniture, musical instruments etc. Good for posts and beams in construction[12][13][14][11].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Pollution: Tolerates environmental pollution.
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The plant contains some potentially toxic compounds[10].
Also Known As: P. imperialis. Sieb.&Zucc. P. recurva. Bignonia tomentosa.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Wilson, Ernest and Charles Sargent. Plantae Wilsonianae.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Wilson, E and M Trollope. Korean Flora. Royal Asiatic Society, 1918.