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Tree ID help-Paulownia

 
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Location: Due to winter mortality, I stubbornly state, zone 7a Tennessee
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This mystery is located in west Tennessee. The trunk is about 2 feet in diameter and reaches about 30 feet tall. The canopy is about 30 feet in diameter as well. The leaves measure 9 inches wide and 12 inches long. The fruit is 2 inches long, the clusters may be 18 inches in length.

Sooo... What is it?

EDIT: Well... that's fun. My connection didn't load my pics. Gotta leave for a few hours, may not get posted till later.

 
Joylynn Hardesty
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Has the internet speed improved?
IMG_20210621_151132718.jpg
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Location: Central Indiana, zone 6a, clay loam
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I love plant mysteries! Pictures are showing up now. Could it be some kind of Basswood? I've not seen any in person, so not super familiar or confident. Just a guess.
 
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Location: Rhode Island
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Paulownia tomentosa according to my plant Id app, also known as princess tree or empress tree. Native to China and Japan this says.
 
Joylynn Hardesty
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That may be right Jayme. attempting another pic
IMG_20210621_151055343.jpg
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IMG_20210621_151120020.jpg
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Joylynn Hardesty
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PFAF seems to be missing information detailing the edibility #1 and medicinal #3. Are the details moved elsewhere? Or is my internet too slow to laod it all? Screenshot from here.
PFAF2.JPG
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Joylynn Hardesty
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Bummer. Just the flowers are edible according to Missouri Botanical Gardens.

Flowers are edible and are sometimes added to salads... ...Edible parts of Foxglove Tree: Leaves - cooked. An emergency food, used when all else fails. Flowers. Eaten with miso...


Ooops. Forgot the reference link... Leaves can be fed to livestock. Types not listed where I read it. How about for rabbits?

Medicinal uses.

Medicinal use of Foxglove Tree: A decoction of the leaves is used to wash foul ulcers and is also said to promote the growth of hair and prevent greying. The leaves are also poulticed onto bruises. The leaf juice is used in the treatment of warts. The flowers are used in the treatment of skin ailments. A tincture of the inner bark is used in the treatment of fevers and delirium. It is astringent and vermifuge.



Does anyone know of other uses for this tree?

Also, does anyone intimately familiar with Paulownia tomentosa thinks the ID is correct?
 
Posts: 39
Location: SW Virginia zone 7a (just moved from DFW, TX)
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Beyond a shadow of a doubt, that is Paulownia. Probably tomentosa, but there are a few other species and hybrids of those with tomentosa  that are functionally identical.

They were a bit of a fad to grow in plantations throughout the South a few decades ago. The lumber is quite valuable in China, used for many woodworking applications. The wood is extremely light, about halfway between balsa wood and normal softwood lumber species.

A log 2 feet across and 8-10 feet long used to be worth many thousands of dollars. I have no idea if the prices are even higher now.

The foliage is rich fodder, grows quickly and abundantly, would make excellent chop and drop tree fodder for ruminants, not sure about rabbits, but worth a try.

It is easily coppiced or pollarded.
 
Joylynn Hardesty
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Thank you B!
 
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