Herb: Chinese Catalpa


Latin name: Catalpa ovata


Synonyms: Catalpa kaempferi


Family: Bignoniaceae (Trumpet-creeper Family)



Medicinal use of Chinese Catalpa:

The stems are diuretic (strongly).

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Tree

Height:
10 m
(33 feet)

Flowering:
July to
August

Scent:
Scented
Tree

Habitat of the herb:

Open country and margins of woods to 2500 metres.

Edible parts of Chinese Catalpa:

Flowers and young pods - cooked. They are boiled and washed. (possibly in that order so as to remove any bitterness)

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - best sown outdoors, or in a cold frame, as soon as it is ripe. Stratify stored seed for 3 weeks at 1°C and sow in spring. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Softwood cuttings, 10cm long, in a frame. They should be taken in late spring to early summer before the leaves are fully developed. Root cuttings in winter.

Cultivation of Chinese Catalpa:

Open country and margins of woods to 2500 metres.

Known hazards of Catalpa ovata:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.