=2. Catalpa speciòsa= Warder. Catalpa. Hardy Catalpa. Catalfa. Plate
133. Medium to large sized trees with long and rather straight trunks
when grown in the forest; bark dark grayish-brown, fissured and much
resembling the bark of a linden or black walnut in appearance; leaves
ovate, generally 1.5-3 dm. long, cordate or somewhat rounded at the
base, long taper-pointed at apex, margins entire, dark green and smooth
above, pubescent beneath; flowering period May or June; flowers in large
terminal panicles, white with yellow and purplish spots within, expanded
part about 4 cm. across; fruit a long cylindrical pod which matures late
in autumn or early winter, 2-5 dm. long, and about 1.5 cm. in diameter,
usually 1 or 2 and rarely 3 pods develop in a panicle, the valves of the
pod remaining semi-terete after separating; seed many, thin and papery,
2.5-5 cm. long, and 4-8 mm. wide, body of samara about equals in length
the tuft of hairs at each end, the hairs remain separated and are little
inclined to form a tuft at the end.
=Distribution.=--Known to have been a native of the southwestern part of
Indiana, and to have followed the valley of the Ohio and Mississippi
Rivers to the southeastern part of Missouri and the northeastern part of
Arkansas. The tree has practically disappeared from the forests of
Indiana, and the exact range in Indiana can never be known. Being such a
conspicuous tree, it was thought that the memory of living pioneers
might be relied upon to fix the limits of its range in Indiana. One
pioneer living near Austin in Scott County said it was a native of the
Muscatatuck bottoms, and another said it was a native in the flats of
the southwestern part of Clark County. In its native habitat it was
found only in very low ground, usually with such associates as pin oak,
sweet gum, southern hackberry, big shellbark hickory, pecan, etc. In its
native habitat it was an infrequent to a frequent tree, never a common
tree. A pioneer was interviewed who settled in the Knox County bottoms
about three miles west of Decker, when the whole area was a virgin
forest. He said the catalpa was an occasional tree in the bottoms
throughout the area; that he did not recall that it was ever found in as
low situations as the cypress; that the tree was as tall as its
associates, straight, and usually about 6 dm. in diameter, and that he
never saw a tree a meter in diameter; that on account of the durable
quality of the wood that it was cut for fence posts and rails. A pioneer
who lived near the mouth of Deer Creek in Perry County said it was a
native in his vicinity. The information at hand would fix the mass
distribution of the species to the southwest of a line drawn from Terre
Haute to a point about 6 miles east of Grandview in Spencer County.
=Remarks.=--Attention was directed to this tree about 1880 by Dr. John
A. Warder and Dr. Geo. Engelmann, and it has had enthusiastic admirers
ever since. In Indiana its most enthusiastic advocate was John P. Brown
of Connersville. Its popularity was based upon the durability of its
wood and its rapid growth. Nurserymen grew seedlings and through their
agents plantations of all sizes were sold in many States. The trees
were planted to grow posts, telephone poles and crossties. In Indiana
there is one plantation 42 years old, but the majority are only 10 to 15
years old. The tree has been planted long enough in our area to
definitely conclude that it should not be planted in any part of Indiana
for economic purposes. The range of the catalpa sphinx which defoliates
the tree is rapidly increasing, and now ranges as far north as Wells
County. In the southern part of the State the trees are usually
defoliated twice each year by the larvæ of this insect, and as a
consequence the trees make very little growth, and some owners of
plantations have abandoned them on this account. A new insect is
appearing which kills the young shoots, which will interfere with the
upright habit of the tree. The catalpa is not recommended for forest
planting in Indiana, and its use for this purpose has practically
ceased.
The catalpa prefers a moist, deep, rich soil, but will grow in almost
all kinds of situations. In the northern part of the State, the young
trees are frequently winter killed. The tree is quite tenacious of life
and when cut off at the ground, usually sends up several coppice shoots.
This species can be recommended for planting for shade for hog lots, and
as a specimen tree in parks, etc. It is not a desirable street tree.
=CAPRIFOLIÀCEAE.= The Honeysuckle Family.
=VIBÚRNUM.= The Viburnums.
=Viburnum prunifòlium= Linnæus. Black Haw. Plate 134. Small trees or
shrubs; bark of old trees reddish-brown, furrowed and the ridges broken
into short lengths; leaves simple, opposite, on petioles 0.5-1.5 cm.
long; the lower pairs of leaves are generally smaller and have their
petioles more or less winged, red and more or less densely covered with
a rusty tomentum which may extend along the midrib and veins beneath or
may sometimes cover a considerable part of the lower surface of the leaf
while young, sometimes the margined petioles are only rough on the
margins; leaf blades very variable in size and shape, usually 4-10 cm.
long, ovate to slightly obovate, or narrow-oval to nearly orbicular,
narrowed or rounded at the base, pointed at the apex, or sometimes
rounded, margins finely serrate, glabrous both above and beneath at
maturity; flowers appear the last of April or in May in cymes which are
sessile or nearly so, flowers white, numerous, and generally about 0.5
cm. in diameter, fruit ripens in September and October, oval, oblong or
nearly globose, generally 10-14 mm. long, dark blue, covered with a
bloom, edible, and if not eaten by birds they persist on the branches
until late autumn; stone oval and very flat.
[Illustration: Plate 134.