• Sometimes called the empress tree or royal paulownia, the princess tree (Paulownia tomentosa) is a member of the Figwort family. Although not native to North Carolina, this flowering tree is commonly found along roadsides, streams and near wooded areas throughout the state. The princess tree is sometimes confused with other plants such as the catalpa tree, but actually, only one species of princess tree grows in North Carolina.
  
  

History

• Originally native to China, the princess tree has been naturalizing throughout the eastern United States since the mid 1800s. According to the Plant Conservation Alliance, the princess tree was imported to Europe in the 1830s and brought to America as an ornamental landscape tree a few years later. Its light, fine-grained wood is highly valued in Japan and China.
  
  

Range

• The princess tree is found throughout the eastern United States from Maine to Texas and is beginning to spread on the west coast. Hardy and tough, the princess tree can thrive in conditions other plants find intolerable, such as infertile, acidic soil and drought. According to the Plant Conservation Alliance, the princess tree spreads rapidly in areas where soil has been disturbed such as by fire or erosion and can even re-sprout after being cut, burned or bulldozed.
  
  

Description

• The princess tree is a fast-growing, medium-sized, deciduous tree with rough, grey bark. According to the Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council, the princess tree grows to a height of about 30 to 60 feet. The broad, hairy leaves are usually heart-shaped or oval and can grow up to 16 inches long and 4 to 8 inches wide. The princess tree bears clusters of large, trumpet-shaped flowers in April and May. The blossoms are light purple and about 6 to12 inches long. Fruits consisting of dry, brown seed pods form in the summer. These pods open in autumn, releasing thousands of tiny, winged seeds.
  
  

Spread

• The princess tree can reproduce through seeds or from its shallow, spreading root system. According to the Southeast Exotic Plant Council, each princess tree is capable of producing 20 million winged seeds that can be carried by wind or water to sprout in new locations far away.
  
  

Problems

• Although the princess tree is sometimes grown as a landscape tree for its purple flowers, it is an aggressive, non-native plant that threatens the habitat of native species throughout the eastern United States. The United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service and the state of North Carolina consider the princess tree an invasive species. The Forest Service recommends hand-pulling small seedlings and cutting larger trees at ground level. An herbicide such as glyphosate or triclopyr should be applied to the stump immediately after cutting to prevent the tree from re-sprouting.