A catalog of Native North American Plants : Catalpa speciosa

Common name: Northern catalpa, cigar tree

is a species of Catalpa native to the midwestern United States of America. It is a deciduous tree growing up to 30 mts tall. It has a trunk up to 1 m diameter, with brown to gray bark maturing into hard plates or ridges. The leaves are deciduous, opposite (or whorled), large, heart shaped, 20–30 cm long and 15–20 cm broad, pointed at the tip and softly hairy beneath. The leaves generally do not color in fall.

The flowers are 3–6 cm across, trumpet shaped, white with yellow stripes and purple spots inside.

The fruit is a long, thin legume-like capsule, 20–40 cm long and 10–12 mm diameter; it often stays attached to tree during winter 

 Dye Colors: Black, Brown, Yellow