Paulownia tomentosa Steud.

Large spreading tree to c. 15 m high. Lvs with long petioles. Lamina to c. 25 × 20 cm on flowering shoots, ovate, glandular-hairy above, densely glandular-hairy below and with some hairs stellate, at least when young, entire or toothed (usually shallowly 3-5-lobed on young trees); base cordate; apex acute or acuminate. Panicle erect, pyramidal; branches and calyx rusty brown; tomentose; fl. buds produced in the previous summer. Calyx 1.5-2 cm long, campanulate; lobes obtuse. Corolla 5-7 cm long, glandular-hairy outside; tube campanulate-funnelform, sharply bent near base, mauve with white or yellowish throat, sometimes with dark streaks; lobes c. 1.5 cm broad, ± rounded, glandular-ciliate. Capsule 3.5-4.5 cm long including beak, ovoid. Seed fusiform; wing striate.

It is a temperate plant. It is native to China. It grows in the mountains. Buds can be damaged by late spring frosts. It can grow in poor soil. Hobart Botanical Gardens. It suits hardiness zones 5-10. Arboretum Tasmania. In Sichuan.

The leaves and fruit are used to preserve health. The flowers are eaten with miso. The leaves are parboiled and used as an emergency food.

It can spread by seeds, root suckers or resprouting. It can be heavily pruned back and shoot again.