This Indian bean leaf tree can be found opposite Sainsburys along Alphington road of Exeter, UK.
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The Indian Bean Tree does not come from India and does not grow beans! It originates from the Eastern United states and was introduced in 1726. It has large heart shaped velvety leaves, very large when the tree is young. The leaves are late to emerge not appearing until late June and will be killed off by the first frost without changing colour.
The tree comes into flower in the middle of July with white flowers that have yellow and purple flecks. The flowers are produced in large clusters and can be so numerous as to obscure the leaves of the tree altogether, thus ensuring its status as one of the most appealing summer trees.
The beans are the tree's bean-like pods, which are very slim and almost perfectly cylindrical and can grow up to 16 inches in length. These pods contain winged seeds and remain on the tree throughout the winter before splitting and releasing the seeds.
It will grow to 15m (50ft) in good conditions with a wide spreading much branched head and is a popular parkland tree. It is not particularly long lived though there is a specimen in a Reading Churchyard that is 150 years old.
The Indian in the name refers to the local native American (Red Indian) tribe near to where the tree was first recorded by a European botanist. His transcription of their name, Catawba, was incorrectly recorded as Catalpa and the tree is now also known as the Southern Catalpa.
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Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Bignoniaceae
Genus: Catalpa
Species: C. bignonioides
Binomial name
Catalpa bignonioides
