Empress Tree

Paulownia tomentosa is native to central and western China, where it grows in mountain forests and valleys.

• Native to the provinces of Anhui, Gansu, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Sichuan, and Yunnan in central and western China
• Found naturally in mountain valleys, ravines, and forest margins at elevations of 500 to 2,000 meters
• Has been cultivated in China for over 3,000 years — one of the most ancient cultivated trees in East Asia
• Introduced to Japan in the 6th to 8th century CE, where it became deeply embedded in Japanese culture
• Introduced to Europe in 1834 by the German physician Philipp Franz von Siebold
• Introduced to the United States in the 1840s as an ornamental tree and has since naturalized extensively across the eastern states
• Now naturalized and invasive in much of the eastern United States from Massachusetts to Georgia and west to the Mississippi
• Also invasive in parts of Europe, particularly in the Mediterranean region
• First described scientifically by Karl Heinrich Emil Koch in 1873, though it was well-known to Asian botanists for centuries
• In Japan, Paulownia is planted when a daughter is born — the tree grows quickly and is harvested when she marries to make her wedding chest
• Paulownia is the emblem of the Japanese Prime Minister and the Government of Japan

Paulownia tomentosa is a medium to large, deciduous tree with enormous leaves and spectacular flowers.

Size and habit:
• Typically grows 10 to 20 meters tall, occasionally reaching 25 meters
• Trunk is 30 to 80 cm in diameter, with smooth, grayish-brown bark marked by prominent lenticels
• Crown is open and spreading, with large, coarse branches
• Young growth is extremely vigorous, producing enormous leaves and thick, hollow stems

Leaves:\• Among the largest leaves of any temperate tree — 20 to 50 cm long and 15 to 40 cm wide on young shoots
• Heart-shaped (cordate) to broadly ovate, with entire or slightly lobed margins
• Dark green above, densely gray-tomentose (fuzzy) below, giving the underside a silvery appearance
• Leaves on mature crown branches are smaller, 10 to 20 cm long
• Leaves are velvety-soft to the touch

Flowers:
• Produced in large, upright, showy panicles 20 to 40 cm tall before leaves emerge in spring
• Individual flowers are 4 to 6 cm long, foxglove-shaped (tubular-campanulate)
• Pale violet to lavender-purple, with darker purple spotting inside the throat
• Extremely fragrant — the sweet scent carries on the spring air
• One of the most spectacular floral displays of any temperate tree
• Flowers appear in early spring on bare branches

Fruit:
• Oval, woody capsules 3 to 5 cm long, persisting on the tree through winter
• Each capsule contains up to 2,000 tiny, winged seeds
• A single tree can produce up to 20 million seeds per year
• Seeds are among the smallest of any tree — approximately 1 mm long

Paulownia tomentosa is a disturbance-adapted pioneer species with significant ecological impacts.

Habitat:
• Native to mountain valleys and forest margins in central China
• Highly adaptable to a wide range of soil conditions and light environments
• Tolerates poor, degraded, acidic, and nutrient-deficient soils

Invasive behavior:
• Listed as invasive in the eastern United States, where it colonizes disturbed areas, roadsides, forest edges, and steep rocky slopes
• Produces astronomical numbers of wind-dispersed seeds that can travel long distances
• Seeds germinate readily on bare soil, disturbed ground, and even in rock crevices
• Sprouts prolifically from root suckers and stump sprouts after cutting
• Dense stands can suppress native vegetation through shading and competition
• Particularly problematic in Appalachian forest communities, where it can dominate disturbed sites

Ecological role:
• Flowers are an important early spring nectar source for bees and other pollinators
• Hummingbirds visit the flowers
• Large leaves create deep shade and heavy leaf litter
• Young shoots are browsed by deer
• Carbon sequestration capacity is among the highest of any tree due to extremely rapid growth

Planting:
• Propagation from seed, root cuttings, stem cuttings, or tissue culture
• Seeds are extremely tiny — surface sow on moist medium without covering; germination in 1 to 3 weeks
• Root cuttings 5 to 10 cm long and 1 to 2 cm thick produce vigorous plants
• Fast-growing — can reach 3 to 5 meters in the first year under optimal conditions
• Plant in full sun in deep, well-drained, fertile soil
• Adaptable to poor and degraded soils
• Hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9 — more cold-hardy than commonly believed
• Drought-tolerant once established
• Prune aggressively to maintain size and encourage straight trunk growth
• Coppices readily — can be harvested and will regrow from the stump
• For timber production: space 3 × 3 meters, harvest in 5 to 10 years
• WARNING: Invasive potential is high — consider sterile clones or responsible placement away from natural areas
• Paulownia hybrids (P. elongata × P. fortunei) are commercially available with reduced seed production
• Requires regular pruning to develop a clear, straight trunk for timber production
• Can be grown as a perennial coppice for biofuel production

Uses:
• Premier fast-growth timber species — Paulownia wood is among the lightest commercial timbers (specific gravity 0.25-0.30)
• Wood is used for furniture, surfboards, boats, musical instruments (particularly Japanese koto and shamisen), and honey boxes
• In Japan, Paulownia wood is the traditional material for making "tansu" (wedding chests), geta (wooden clogs), and decorative boxes
• Wood is highly prized in Japan and commands premium prices — a single Kiri log can be worth thousands of dollars
• Excellent for plywood core stock, moldings, and architectural millwork
• Used for biofuel production due to extremely rapid biomass accumulation
• Leaves are used as fodder for livestock in China — high in protein and nutrients
• Flowers are used in traditional Chinese medicine for skin conditions and respiratory ailments
• Bark, leaves, and fruit are used in traditional medicine for various purposes
• Widely planted as an ornamental for its spectacular spring flowers
• Used in land reclamation and mine spoil restoration due to rapid growth and soil improvement
• Carbon sequestration potential is among the highest of any tree species
• The tree is the official emblem of the Japanese government and appears on the Order of the Rising Sun
• In China, planted when a daughter is born and harvested for her wedding chest