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The tree

The species belongs to the order Lamiales and grows 10-25 metres tall. It is an extremely fast-growing tree with seeds that disperse readily. Its leaves are large and heart-shaped to five-lobed, arranged in opposite pairs on the stem. The generic name Paulownia honours Anna Pavlovna of Russia, who was Queen Consort of the Netherlands from 1840 to 1849. The specific epithet tomentosa is a Latin word meaning 'covered in hairs'.

The flowers

The very fragrant flowers are produced in early spring, before the leaves, on panicles 10-30 centimetres long. They are pale violet to purple-shaded and tubular, similar to a foxglove. The flowers are carried in large, brown-woolly buds through the winter and open in spring just before the leaves. Pollarded trees do not produce flowers, as these form only on mature wood.

Chemistry of the flower oil

The essential oil of the flowers contains, as odour substances, hydroquinone dimethyl ether, 1-octen-3-ol, cis-3-hexen-1-ol, l-linalool, benzyl alcohol, phenethyl alcohol, benzaldehyde and anisaldehyde. In a steam-distilled oil of the flowers, the main compounds were benzyl alcohol (13.28%), 1,2,4-trimethoxybenzene (8.34%) and 2-methoxy-3-(2-propenyl)-phenol (6.14%). Apigenin, ursolic acid, β-sitosterol and caffeic acid are among the odourless components isolated from the steam distillation residue.

Uses of the tree

Its nitrogen-rich leaves provide good fodder and its roots prevent soil erosion. Paulownia wood is very light, fine-grained and warp-resistant. It is used for chests, boxes and clogs (geta). It is important in China, Korea and Japan for making the soundboards of stringed musical instruments such as the guqin, guzheng, pipa, koto and gayageum. In Japan, it is customary to plant seeds of the tree when a couple has a daughter; the tree is later felled and made into a tansu dresser as a wedding gift.

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