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Tree ID
green fingered finch
Posts: 278
in Plants
Spotted this tree in someone's front garden. Never seen one like it before. My other half says it looks like a giant bindweed tree (arghh 
)
What on earth is it?
0
Posts
Oops forgot pic!
It looks as if it could be a tree called Catalpa bignonioides or Indian Bean Tree.
Catalpa leaves are more heart-shaped. This looks to me like Paulownia tomentosa, which is often coppiced in the UK.
Not all catalpa species have heart shaped leaves. Catalpa x erubescens has leaves with these trident indents.
You're right, Invicta, but these leaves look much more corrugated to me as well. finch, here are two links which might help you when looking at the plant in situ--you'll see that aside from the flowers, what differentiates them is reddish young foliage in the Catalpa (probably all greened up by this time of year) and furry/felted young foliage in the Paulownia (mostly, again, lost by this time of year). But you might spot something on the tips that would be a clue.
Either way, you can stool them to keep them compact, which looks to have been done here.
Catalpa x erubescens:
https://davisla6.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/catalpa-x-erubescens-purpurea-leaf.jpg
Paulownia tomentosa:
https://www.chewvalleytrees.co.uk/products/detail/paulownia-tomentosa/1
Think it is more likley the paulownia tomentosa. Cambridgerose i cant get close enough to see that kind of detail as its right up by their house! Thanks tor the links though