Bio Diversity Park

Common Name : Foxglove Tree, Dragon Tree

Hindi Name : फॉक्सग्लोव ट्री | Scientific Name : Paulownia fortunei
Family : Paulowniaceae
Uses : It is a fast-growing tree that can build up humus levels and fertility in the soil. When growing in areas polluted by heavy metals it has been shown to concentrate various of these metals in its tissues. It has a high potential for use in phytoremediation projects, either as a means of removing these metals or as a means of locking them up and helping to restore the fertility of the soil.
Native: China and Vietnam
General Description:

It is a tree up to 30m tall, with a conical crown. Trunk is straight, about 2m dbh.; bark grey-brown. Leaf-stalks are about 12cm, hairless. Leaves are narrowly ovate-heart-shaped, occasionally ovate-heart-shaped, up to 20cm long, 2-parted on new shoots, hairy below, velvety when mature, and rarely sparsely hairy or hairless. Leaves are hairless above. Flowers are borne in narrow and long, somewhat cylindric thyrses, about 25cm long. Cymes are 3-8 flowered; peduncle as long as flower-stalks. Flower-stalks are hairless. Calyx is obconical, 2-2.5cm; lobes 1/4-1/3 of calyx length, ovate to triangular-ovate, narrowly triangular in fruit. Flowers are white, purple, or light purple, tubular-funnel-shaped, - 8-12cm long. Tube is enlarged gradually, slightly bent forward, ventrally weakly ridged, outside hairy. Stamens are 3-3.5cm, sparsely glandular hairy. Ovary glandular, occasionally stellate hairy. Capsule are oblong to oblong-ellipsoid, 6-10cm; beak to 6cm; pericarp woody, 3-6mm thick; persistent calyx 3-6mm, woody. Seeds 6-10mm including wing. The genus Paulownia was named in honour of Queen Anna Pavlovna of The Netherlands (1795–1865), daughter of Tsar Paul I of Russia. Flowering takes place in March-April.