Description: A Deciduous, medium-sized tree (if left unpruned) with a pyramidal outline. Large, hairy, bright green leaves are ovate to heart-shaped with shallowly lobed margins. Fragrant funnel-shaped flowers with recurved petal tips are a shade of pale mauve. Each boom has pale yellow markings towards the throat. The flower buds are produced in the autumn and do not reliably come through the winter in this climate, but when produced the flowers are held in panicles and Bloom as the leaves emerge in late spring.

Paulownia tomentosa is used as a cut-back plant in the Exotic Garden at Malverleys to maintain the large leaf size and control overall height. Flowers are not produced when used as a cut-back plant, but stems up to 3m in height bearing very large leaves to 60cm across are produced.

Award of Garden Merit (AGM)

Synoym -Paulownia imperialis

Additional common names - Empress Tree, Princess Tree