This weed is driving me crazy...no one has any idea what it is. It is very tall, approximately 18 feet now...it has no flowers...it has no berries...it dies every year and grows back...it has not produced any additional plants...the leaves are huge...they are about 15 inches or so long and almost the same width...it has a single trunk... the first "branch" is about 7 feet off the ground... the branches are about a foot apart and they are symmetrical in that they grow directly opposite each other on the "trunk"..the leaves are heartshaped... Please help me solve this puzzle...btw...i live in Asheville NC (about 2100 ft above sealevel and it gets cold and snowy in the winter) tree like weed 2 ( photo / image / picture from raycin1019's Garden ) tree like weed ( photo / image / picture from raycin1019's Garden )
dont think its a catawba tree. I have been watching it for three years and it never had the long hanging bean like "fruits". I have seen several other "weeds" in other locations along the road and i never saw the "fruits" on them either.. thanks for the response
Do some searching for Paulownia tomentosa aka Empress Tree, Princess Tree. There are similarities in the leaves and growth pattern. I haven't found any info on whether it takes a few years of growing before blooming and setting seed pods but that could be the case.
I agree with Toni. I also think it is a Princess Tree (Paulownia tomentosa). A three year old tree is a young tree and would not produce any flowers yet.
Pawlonias do take a few years to reach flowering size and they can grow a huge amount in one season. We cut ours down to the ground in February and only allow three buds to grow. That way it never flowers but we get HUGE leaves, like nearly a metre in length. This is a leaf to help with the id. Pawlonia leaf ( photo / image / picture from Palustris's Garden )
It is not catalpa, we have many of those here and the leaves are not shaped like yours. I did see two of your plants yesterday though when I went to a neighbors house. The person that lives next door had two growing in her yard. Hers are huge but still shaped the same as your plant. No one was home or I would have stopped and asked what they were !! If I find out I will post it !!
