Paulownia

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Paulownia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Paulowniaceae
Genus: Paulownia
Siebold & Zucc.
Species

Six to 17 species, including:
Paulownia catalpifolia
Paulownia elongata
Paulownia fargesii
Paulownia fortunei
Paulownia kawakamii
Paulownia taiwaniana
Paulownia tomentosa

Paulownia (

Anna Pavlovna, queen consort of The Netherlands (1795–1865), daughter of Tsar Paul I of Russia. It is also called "princess tree" for the same reason.[2]

It was originally sought after as an exotic ornamental tree in Europe and Asia, and later introduced to North America in 1844. Its fruits (botanically

capsules) were also used as packaging material for goods shipped from East Asia to North America, leading to Paulownia groves where they were dumped near major ports. The tree has not persisted prominently in US gardens, in part due to its overwintering brown fruits that some consider ugly.[3] In some areas it has escaped cultivation and is found in disturbed plots. Some US authorities consider the genus an invasive species,[4]
but in Europe, where it is also grown in gardens, it is not regarded as invasive.

Paulownia trees produce as many as 20 million tiny seeds per year. However, the seeds are very susceptible to

soil biota and only colonize well on sterile soils (such as after a high temperature wildfire). Well-drained soil is also essential. Successful plantations usually purchase plants that have been professionally propagated from root cuttings or seedlings.[5]
Although seeds, seedlings, and roots of even mature trees are susceptible to rot, the wood is not and is used for boat building and surfboards.

Dimensionally stable and given its straight grain and light weight, Paulownia timber is extremely easy to work with and is reported to be resistant to decay, with decent weathering.[6]

Trees can grow to maturity in under 10 years and produce strong, lightweight timber, good as firewood, with an even higher strength to weight ratio than balsa wood.[7] Its density is low at around 0.28 kilograms per liter (2.8 lb/imp gal),[8][7][9] although significantly higher than balsa's very low 0.16 kilograms per liter (1.6 lb/imp gal).[10][11]

Morphology

Paulownia imperialis'

Paulownia is a genus of

corolla has 5 fused lobes with a shorter adaxial bilobed lip and a somewhat longer abaxial
trilobed lower lip. The lips of all the petals are curled and their surface tomentose.

A: new buds; B: inflorescences; C: corolla tube; D: superior bilocular ovary; E: leaves; F: ovary capsules; G: seeds

On the inner side of the lower trilobed corolla tube run two light yellow folded ridges from the calyx to the lip. These are interpreted as

loculicidal dehiscence reveals up to 2000 small winged seeds stacked tightly inside. The tiny seeds have lateral wings that gradually increase in length around the seed. The ventral and dorsal side of the seed are flat. This wing shape on the seeds is another distinguishing characteristic of Paulownia from the rest of the Lamiales.[13]
The new buds, enclosed by the early brown fuzzy calyx, are visible in late summer to early fall and wait dormant, alongside the brown seed capsules, till spring.

Fossil record

Paulownia once occurred in

Washington state.[14]

Paulownia macrofossils have been recovered from the late Zanclean stage of the Pliocene sites in Pocapaglia, Italy[16] and Paulownia caucasica macrofossils have been recovered from strata of the Serravallian stage of the Miocene in Georgia in the Caucasus region.[17] It is believed that the climate then would have been suitable for the genus across the whole northern hemisphere.[18]

Uses

In China, it is popular for roadside planting and as an ornamental tree. Paulownia needs much light and does not like high water tables.

As a forestry crop Paulownia are exacting in their requirements, performing well only in very well draining soil, with summer rainfall or availability of irrigation water.[citation needed] Paulownia is extremely fast growing; up to 20 feet in one year when young. Some species of plantation Paulownia can be harvested for saw timber in as little as five years. Once the trees are harvested, they regenerate from their existing root systems, earning them the name of the "Phoenix tree".[citation needed]

Paulownia is also used in Chinese agroforestry systems because it grows fast, its wood is light but strong, its flowers are rich in nectar, its leaves make good fodder for farm animals, it is deep-rooting, and it is late-leafing and its canopy is quite sparse so that crops below it get both light enough to grow and shelter.[19]

This Paulownia flower pattern (go-shichi-no-kiri) is the symbol of the Office of the Prime Minister of Japan. It also decorates the Order of the Rising Sun and the Order of the Paulownia Flowers and is a crest of the Eihei-ji Zen temple.

Paulownia is known in Japanese as kiri (桐), specifically referring to P. tomentosa; it is also known as the "princess tree". Paulownia is the mon of the office of prime minister, and also serves as the Government Seal of Japan used by the Cabinet and the Government of Japan (whereas the chrysanthemum is the Imperial Seal of Japan).[citation needed] It is one of the suits in the card game hanafuda, associated with the month of November or December (some regions reverse the order of these two months).[20]

Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia states:

Paulownia wood is very light, fine-grained, and warp-resistant. It is the fastest-growing hardwood. It is used for chests, boxes, and clogs (geta). The wood is burned to make charcoal for sketching and powder for fireworks, the bark is made into a dye. The silvery-grey wood is sliced into veneers for special visiting cards.[21][22]

A Japanese Kobundō (小分銅), 95–97% gold, "Paulownia" Kiri (桐) mark, Kikubana (菊花) emblem, 373.11 grams, Japan

It is important in China, Korea, and Japan for making the soundboards of stringed musical instruments such as the

koto, and gayageum.[7] More recently it is used as body material for low-cost electric guitars,[citation needed] as the core for lightweight touring skis,[23][24] and for surfboard cores.[25] It is typically used in guitars as the core body, then laminated under a more durable wood.[citation needed
]

Species

Paulownia fortunei flowers and bark

Tested and confirmed species:[15]

Potential variety, hybrid, and synonym species:

References

  1. ^ Barton, I.L.; Nicholas, I.D.; Ecroyd, C.E. (2007). "Pawlonia" (PDF). Forest Research Bulletin. 231.
  2. ^ Rush Industries, 2000.
  3. S2CID 40567325
    .
  4. ^ "Paulownia tomentosa". www.tsusinvasives.org. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  5. ^ Cultivation of Paulownia - 3. Sexual & Asexual Propagation Archived 2021-10-27 at the Wayback Machine www.kalliergeia.com, accessed 20 May 2020
  6. ^ characteristics
  7. ^ a b c "Paulownia | The Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Hardwood) Common Name(s): Paulownia, Royal Paulownia, Princess Tree, Kiri". Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  8. S2CID 211028012
    .
  9. ^ "Physical and mechanical properties of paulownia tomentosa wood planted in hungaria". ResearchGate.
  10. ^ "Balsa | WoodSolutions". www.woodsolutions.com.au.
  11. S2CID 6546811
    .
  12. S2CID 103106687
    .
  13. ^
    ISSN 0367-2530
    .
  14. ^
    JSTOR 2439100
    .
  15. ^
    PMID 31114599
    .
  16. ^ Messian to Zanclean vegetation and climate of Northern and Central Italy by Adele Bertini & Edoardo Martinetto, Bollettino della Societa Paleontologica Italiana, 47 (2), 2008, 105-121. Modena, 11 lugio 2008.
  17. ISBN 978-9941-9105-3-1
  18. ISSN 0002-9122
    .
  19. ISBN 9780851991474
    .
  20. ^ Go-Stop: THE CARDS "...called hwa-tu in Korea, and hanafuda in Japan... NOVEMBER - PAULOWNIA (Korean: odong. Note: in Japanese hanafuda, Paulownia represents December.)" www.sloperama.com, accessed 21 May 2020
  21. ISBN 4-06-931098-3
    . page 1189.
  22. ^ Lincoln, William L. (1986). World Woods in Color. Fresno: Linden Publishing. p. 143.
  23. ^ "Understanding the Wood Core in Your Skis". POWDER Magazine. 2016-08-31. Retrieved 2020-01-26.
  24. ^ "The 13 best backcountry skis of 2020". FREESKIER. 2019-09-17. Retrieved 2020-01-26.
  25. ^ Paulownia Lumber For Sale 21 January 2019 www.commercialforestproducts.com, accessed 20 May 2020
  26. ^ "Paulownia fortunei Fact Sheet". Archived from the original on 2013-10-25. Retrieved 2012-06-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Paulownia and Paulownia fortunei.
Wikispecies has information related to Paulownia.
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