Martha's exotic Backyard in Israel
Paulownia tomentosa, Blue Dragon Tree,
Empress Tree, Princess Tree, Foxglove Tree,
פולובניה הדורה ,עץ הקיסר ,עץ הנסיכה

Scientific name:		Paulownia tomentosa (Thunb.) Siebold & Zucc. ex Steud.
Common name:		Blue Dragon Tree, Empress Tree, Princess Tree, Foxglove Tree
Hebrew name:		פולובניה הדורה ,עץ הקיסר ,עץ הנסיכה
Family:		Scrophulariaceae, Figwort, לועניתיים

Location: Haifa highway (Nr.2 Coastal Road), Kibbutz Gaash

Life form:		Deciduous tree
Stems:		May reach 21-32 m in height and 1.2-2.0 m DBH (diameter at breast height), thin, flaky bark, brittle branches
Leaves:		Opposite, large heart-shaped to five-lobed leaves
Inflorescence:		Large, erect terminal panicle 15-30 cm long; clusters triangular in shape
Flowers:		From round, brown, hairy buds formed during the previous summer, before leaves, with a tubular purple corolla 4-6 cm long resembling a foxglove flower
Fruits / pods:		Capsule, oval, 2-part, 3-4 cm long, containing numerous wingedseeds
Flowering Period:		April, May
Habitat:		Easily adapts to disturbed habitats, along roadsides
Distribution:		on roadsides
Chorotype:		Native to western and central China
Summer shedding:		Perennating

Location: Haifa highway (Nr.2 Coastal Road), Kibbutz Gaash Derivation of the botanical name: Paulownia, named for Princess Anna Paulowna (1795 - 1865), dayghter of Czar Paul I of Russia. tomentosa,tomentum, "dense interwoven hair covering", osus (adjective suffix for nouns), plenitude or notable development; thickly and evenly covered short more or less apressed curled or curved matted hairs. The standard author abbreviation Thunb. is used to indicate Carl Peter Thunberg (1743 – 1828), a Swedish naturalist and a apostle of Carl Linnaeus. The standard author abbreviation Siebold is used to indicate Philipp Franz von Siebold (1796 – 1866), a German physician and traveller. The standard author abbreviation Zucc. is used to indicate Joseph Gerhard Zuccarini (1790 – 1848), a German botanist, Professor of Botany at the University of München. The standard author abbreviation Steud. is used to indicate Ernst Gottlieb von Steudel (1783 – 1856), a German physician and an authority on grasses. The tree is known as an extremely fast growing shade tree. It was first imported to Europe in the 1830's by the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC in Dutch) and brought to North America a few years later. Princess tree is native to western and central China where historical records describe its medicinal, ornamental, and timber uses as early as the third century BCE. It was cultivated centuries ago in Japan where it is valued in many traditions. Location: Haifa highway (Nr.2 Coastal Road), Kibbutz Gaash Location: Haifa highway (Nr.2 Coastal Road), Kibbutz Gaash Location: Haifa highway (Nr.2 Coastal Road), Kibbutz Gaash