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NAME: Empress Tree

SPECIES / FAMILY:  Paulownia Tomentosa / Paulowniaceae

OTHER COMMON NAME(S):  Foxglove Tree, Princess Tree, Royal Paulownia

CONDITIONS: sun-partial shade
 

PARTS:	EDIBLE	TASTE	RAW/COOK	SEASON
All
Shoots
Leaves			COOK	Spring
Stalk/Stem
Buds
Flowers			RAW	Spring
Fruits
Pods
Seeds
Nuts
Roots
Bark

 

PORTION: small

 

COMMENT: Flowers;  Leaves - cooked. An emergency food, used when all else fails. Flowers. Eaten with miso.(1) Flowers appear in spring in clusters (to 14” long) before the foliage. Flower aroma is reminiscent of vanilla. Flowers are edible and are sometimes added to salads.(3)

 

CAUTION: Contains some potentially toxic compounds.(1)

 

NUTRITION/MEDICINAL:  Astringent;  Skin;  Vermifuge;  Warts. A decoction of the leaves is used to wash foul ulcers and is also said to promote the growth of hair and prevent greying. The leaves are also poulticed onto bruises. The leaf juice is used in the treatment of warts. The flowers are used in the treatment of skin ailments. A tincture of the inner bark is used in the treatment of fevers and delirium. It is astringent and vermifuge.(1)

 

LOOK-A-LIKES:  

 

POISONOUS LOOK-A-LIKES: 

 

OTHER USES: Charcoal;  Wood - not attacked by insects. Used for making boxes, clogs, furniture, musical instruments etc. Good for posts and beams in construction. A source of charcoal.(1) The soft, lightweight seeds were commonly used as a packing material by Chinese porcelain exporters in the 19th century, before the development of polystyrene packaging. Packing cases would often leak or burst open in transit and scatter the seeds along rail tracks.(2)

 

SOURCE LINKS (may include nutritional and medicinal info, plus other uses):

1. https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Paulownia+tomentosa
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulownia_tomentosa
3. http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a888 (good photos)