Catalpa is a genus of trees that belong to the Bignoniaceae family.
Catalpa is a type of tree that belongs to the Bignoniaceae family group. The term refers to a genus made up of several species.
Catalpas are native to the American continent and East Asia . Its height usually exceeds ten meters, with large heart-shaped leaves and whitish flowers that have purple dots.
Origin of the concept
Catalpa comes from the English word catalpa , itself derived from a North American Aboriginal language. The Catawba people, who had a great expansion throughout the south and southeast of the current United States territory , precisely called this type of tree Catawba.
The word catalpa is believed to have arisen from a mistranscription by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli , the naturalist who described the genus in the 18th century . Scopoli published his research in “Introductio ad Historiam Naturalem” , a scientific work that he published in 1777 .
Characteristics of the common catalpa
The species known as common catalpa or Indian tree is the one whose scientific name is Catalpa bignonioides . It is a tree native to the southeastern United States that can reach nearly fifteen meters in height.
The common catalpa is used as an ornamental tree since it has good resistance to pollution and offers shade. Its wood , meanwhile, is difficult to carve but is used to make poles, while different parts of this plant are attributed medicinal properties although they have a considerable level of toxicity.
The catalpa has white flowers.
Other species
The northern catalpa or western catalpa ( Catalpa speciosa ) is a species of catalpa that, like the common catalpa, is used as an ornamental plant. Its characteristics , in fact, are similar to those exhibited by the common catalpa, differing by having a smaller number of flowers although larger in size.
Catalpa ovata is known as Chinese catalpa or yellow catalpa . As its common name indicates, this tree is native to China . Regarding their differences with the common catalpa and the northern catalpa, the specimens are lower in height , not reaching ten meters.
In the Antilles , on the other hand, Catalpa brevipes develops. The species, which grows in dry forests, is at risk of extinction .
Catalpa, name of an Argentine company and a Spanish street
Catalpa Agropecuaria SRL is an Argentine company founded in 1994 that is dedicated to business development in the agricultural sector. The company markets and distributes agricultural inputs; It has associated and own crops; It has machines and trucks; sprays thousands of hectares a year; and provides technical advice.
The headquarters of Catalpa Agropecuaria is located in Bolívar . In said town in the province of Buenos Aires it also has a storage plant with a capacity for 20,000 tons.
Catalpa , finally, is the name of a street in El Puerto de Santa María . This city of more than 88,000 inhabitants and rich in historical monuments is located in the Spanish province of Cádiz , forming part of the autonomous community of Andalusia .