Indian bean tree
Catalpa bignonioides
RHS Plants for Pollinators
USDA zones5 to 9
SunHandles full sun to partial shade
WaterHandles dry to wet soil
Size30 to 60 feet tall20 to 40 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- White with purple and yellow markings
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Indian bean tree (Catalpa bignonioides) is a tree for specimen planting, woodland edges, and rain gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 5, or down to -20°F (-29°C). This plant likes full sun to part shade and dry to wet soil of most types. Ruffled white flowers with purple and yellow markings are followed by long, cigarlike pods. Deer usually look elsewhere for a meal. The leaves smell bad when crushed, and root suckers may appear, so give it room.
Pairs well with Switchgrass, Blue wild indigo, and Shumard oak.
Native range
North America.