Seasonal Wild Flowers

Latin name

Paulownia tormentosa

Family

Scrophulariaceae

Flowering season

May

English distribution

The escape is scattered throughout the country but is

more common in the South.

For a map see the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland –

Foxglove-tree

Habitat

It is a neophyte introduced from China in the late 1830s

and widely planted as an ornamental tree in parks,

estates and amenity areas.

It was not noted in the wild until 1990.

In some countries it is treated as invasive.

Description

The Foxglove-tree is a large tree with a rounded crown

growing up to 15m.

The flowers are fragrant and in erect panicles up to

30cm.

Flowers are composed of 5 violet and white, unequal

petals fused to form a trumpet shape up to 6cm.  

The mouth of the corolla is made of 5 unequal lobes.

The base of the corolla tube is covered in white hairs.

There are 4 stamens with long white filaments and 

dark anthers.

The ovary is above the stamens (hypogynous) and 

there is a long style and a small stigma.

The calyx is hairy and woody.

The fruit is a woody capsule up to 4cm.

Mature leaves are stalked, ovate to heart-shaped

and up to 20cm.

New leaves are hairy above and downy below.

Petioles are hairy.

The trunk and main branches are grey.

The tree can spread via seed and by suckers 

produced from the roots.