Paulownia (Princess Tree) Very Invasive. Do NOT Plant
Known as the Princess Tree, Empress Tree, and Royal Empress Tree, Paulownia Trees are highly invasive and are destroying native ecosystems from Maine to Florida and Texas, as well as the Pacific Northwest. However, open almost any gardening magazine and you’ll find adds touting this tree as an “amazing, fast-growing, shade tree.”
It is this fast-growing nature that is causing so many problems for native ecosystems. Growing up to 15 feet in a single year, this invasive tree shades out and outcompetes native plant communities for resources such as water and nutrients.
It thrives in disturbed soils, is drought and pollution tolerant, and easily takes over riparian areas. Every spring when it blooms, I am dismayed at how many more of these trees have gained a foothold along the wooded stream as I drive through my neighborhood.
It can reproduce from seed or root sprouts, which grow very quickly. A single tree can produce up to 20 million seeds each year, which are easily dispersed by wind and water. Even though the light purple blooms are quite pretty, I have learned to hate the sight of them.
Sale of this plant is banned in Connecticut and it needs to be banned in all of the other states in which it has spread into natural areas. Continued sale of this plant is extremely irresponsible. If your local nursery is selling this tree, please inform them of how invasive and dangerous it is to our native ecosystems.
When Good Intentions Can Have Disastrous Consequences
I came across a website recently which has a great mission. Tree Your World is planting trees to sequester carbon dioxide in the hope of slowing global climate change. They are enlisting environmentally conscious affiliate organizations, corporations, schools, churches and individuals to join in their efforts to help nature help itself while profiting from the experience.
The problem is, they are planting vast plantations of Royal Empress Paulownia trees, which they describe as the world’s fastest growing tree. These plantations are creating a vast seedbank of this highly invasive tree, which will spread through native forests, riparian areas, and disturbed areas.
While they may be acting with the best of intentions, their actions are nonetheless very irresponsible. Please use the contact form at their site to let them know how dangerous their actions are.
In every neighborhood and region of this country, there are plants on the “Most Hated Plants” list. What tops your list? Which plants to you devote entirely too much energy in an attempt to control it? Let us know in the comments below.
© 2009 – 2010, Carole Brown. All rights reserved.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
What an absolute shame that this pretty tree is causing so much trouble.
Which native trees would be good for Tree Your World to plant? I personally like Redbud, but I don’t know what areas it’s good for.
Alison Kerr´s last post ..Are we heading for destruction?
Plantations of just one kind of tree are generally not very good at supporting wildlife. And plantations of invasive trees is a prescription for disaster.
Tree Your World would be doing a much better service if they planted a variety of locally native trees and shrubs which would more closely mimic native ecosystems.
Oh no I love Paulownias! Thankfully in the UK (as far as I know) they don’t cause the same problems… I think our climate prevents them from being such thugs…
Thanks for info – I had no idea!
R
It all depends. Invasiveness is a localized situation. I’m a professional paulownia grower and have 6,000 of the trees almost ready for harvest. I’ve had almost no problem with volunteers, like maybe a dozen in16 years. Tennessee has some problems, and many well intended people are hysterical about this tree.I have 76 acres of growing plants, and suffer more from walnut, locust, mulberry and rose invasion. It has incredible wood properties, and we have a great demand for the wood. It’s being imported from China today.
I’m president of the American Paulownia Association, and we have over a hundred serious growers.Check our web site. Our members are responsible growers who are chagrined at the antics of ill-informed. Vince Luchsinger, New Freedom, PA.
Vince, respectfully, the Paulownia is much more than locally invasive, having spread from New York to Texas and Florida. It’s a major problem to ecosystems for all of the reasons listed above. I’m glad you’ve seen few “volunteers” but I’m sure the woodlands surrounding your property are suffering from the onslaught. When one looks at the problem with a priority of healthy ecosystems and fully functioning ecosystem services, I don’t see any responsible way to grow this because you cannot contain the seeds. “Responsible growing” has already given us the myth that Purple Loosestrife is now sterile so no longer invasive. I’m now seeing many myths and greenwashing from Paulownia growers, too. That is a huge shame.
I imagine it’s pretty hard to see and admit a problem when you have a lot invested in not seeing a problem.
I’d like to know why Vince, as a professional grower, is choosing to promote an imported decorative tree rather than a native one.
Native plants are better for wildlife – they support insects. Birds eat the insects.
Imported plants, with the potential for invasiveness (even if it hasn’t happened yet) are just for looks. Some might be happy with that, but I’m not. I value wildlife in my garden and countryside and I’d rather not pay taxes toward removing invasive plants people plant to look nice.
Alison Kerr´s last post ..Black Friday Duck Shopping
Invasive species represent an unintended consequence of human disturbance of native eocsystems. The biological invasions are a symptom of an equally problematic assault on native systems: climate change. What will we do when we find our native species moving to new regions because of climate pressures becoming invasive by definition? (in the case of endangered species perhaps with human help)
What we are trying to do is preserve the remants of once intact ever changing endogenous ecosystems. Like the farmer who has no use for a rose bush in a corn field, stewards (gardeners) of natural areas will have to choose to weed some species on an almost constant basis. The Paulownia is easily targeted as an undesirable weed of native ecosystems. Like the home owner who is aggrieved when the neighbor plants running bamboo on the property line next to the perennial garden, the natural area managers understabdibly work to reduce propagule pressure by calling for species’ bans in an attempt to freeze or at least slow down biological invasion.
If we do not combine plant bans with plant removal resources, we ultimately will lose the battle, for it is actually “new” not yet introduced species on which we should be focused. Growers and sellers should work to offer alternatives to the Paulownia, but the industrial plantations will be hard to remove and the destruction will remain without a funded eradication effort.
Alison, I agree it’s hard to see a problem when you have an investment in short-term gain. It’s something we as a society need to look really hard at.
Thanks John. Since we taxpayers spend billions of dollars every year in an attempt to preserve ecosystem function by the removal of invasive species, stewardship of the land should be the priority. I was just reading a great article you wrote on this very subject: Paulownia AKA Princess Tree, Heritage and the Future.
{ 2 trackbacks }