Fugitive Settles in North Carolina

May 31, 1996

Greensboro, NC: A strange new tree is in town. A native of China, its ancestors can be traced to the third century. Still, even with this rich ancient history, it lives in relative obscurity along the roads and distant glens of North Carolina. It might even be lurking in your neighborhood.

Paulownia tomentosa, commonly known as the empress or princess tree, can grow to a height of about sixty feet, and is marked by large, heart-shaped leaves, and lavender blossoms. In the winter, it develops egg-shaped seed capsules that rattle in the wind and give it the common name of rattlebox. While often a bane to those involved in yard clean-up, the empress tree endears itself to others with its diverse and spectacular foliage.

"At about this time of the year every year, we get a number of calls asking about these magnificent blooming trees," said Dr. Bob Williamson, a natural resources specialist with the North Carolina A&T State University Cooperative Extension Program. "Although its beauty is apparent, the paulownia's background is not."

First introduced on the East Coast, paulownia quickly became naturalized, so much so that it was sometimes referred to as a "weed." In fact, in 1919, it was described by scholars as a "fugitive tree" that had "sown much more of its own seed than man."

In addition to beauty, growers of paulownia have found its wood to be valuable. Kiri, as paulownia is known in Japan, is popular in the manufacture of bridal chests and other fine pieces of furniture. Exporters have been known to pay nearly $1,000 for a sawlog, and some entire trees have brought as much as $10,000, depending on the quality of their wood.

The virtual promise of profit has not gone unnoticed by North Carolina producers. Stokes County is home to about 500 paulownias, which are being grown for the purposes of demonstration and market production. "We've been really pleased with their development," said Leonard Hicks. Hicks is a North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service agricultural technician who has been assisting an area producer with his paulownia groves.

"Paulownias can be a good option for someone with limited acreage or marginal cropland not suitable for forage or row crops," said Hicks. "They require close management, but in the long run, they will pay off."

The benefits of growing paulownias need not be limited to agricultural producers. Because of its tendency to grow quickly and the allure of its beauty, many backyard gardeners plant the tree. "For someone who wants to cover a plot of land quickly and enjoy a shade tree, a paulownia might be the answer," said Williamson. "They have been known to grow about eight feet per year, a fact which commands the fascination of many amateur botanists."

For more information about growing paulownias, contact your local County Extension Office.