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Northern Catalpa

Catalpa speciosa

Found in floodplain and bottomland forests; streams, rivers and their banks; forests and woodlands; roadsides, fields and disturbed ground. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 82%

Height
40–70 feet
Spread
8–16 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist
See native alternatives

Plant this instead

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  • Shingle Oak
    Quercus imbricaria

    Sun: Full sun. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Yellow.

    Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

    Different: spread

  • American Persimmon
    Diospyros virginiana

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Yellow, green, orange or white.

    Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

  • Blackgum
    Nyssa sylvatica

    Sun: Full sun. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Green or white.

    Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

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At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
May to July
Fruiting season
July to August

Recorded in 77 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 4

Streams, rivers and their banks

Watauga Falls
Named place / source context. Shown: Watauga Falls, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Watauga Falls, Illustrator/engraver not confidently attributed; reproduced in Zeigler and Grosscup, The Heart of the Alleghanies (1883), 1883. Public domain. Source record.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 127 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

9CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Catalpa

  • Ceratomia catalpaeCatalpa Sphinx
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Nematocampa resistariaFilament Bearer, Horned Spanworm Moth
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Paleacrita vernataSpring Cankerworm Moth
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Papilio glaucusEastern Tiger Swallowtail
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Xylophanes tersaTersa Sphinx
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Bignoniaceae
Hardiness
Zones 4a–8b
Flower color
Orange, purple or white
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Single stem
Foliage color
Dark green
Fruit begins
July
Fruit ends
August

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Virginia rankSNA
Global rankG4?
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources