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Paulownia

File:Paulowni_imperialis_SZ10.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ165173· pop 54· linked from 131 articles

Also known as kiri, empress tree, princess tree

Paulownia ( ) is a genus of seven to 17 species of hardwood trees (depending on taxonomic authority) in the family Paulowniaceae, the order Lamiales. The genus and family are native to east Asia and are widespread across China. The genus, originally Pavlovnia but now usually spelled Paulownia, was named in honour of Anna Pavlovna, queen consort of The Netherlands (1795–1865), daughter of Tsar Paul I of Russia. It is also called "princess tree" for the same reason.

OverviewAI-generated

Paulownia is a genus within the plant kingdom Plantae. It belongs to the phylum Tracheophyta, class Magnoliopsida, and order Lamiales. The genus is classified in the family Paulowniaceae. Its scientific name is Paulownia Siebold & Zucc.

Records for this genus have been documented in the United States, Vietnam, Ecuador, and Paraguay. Specimens are held by institutions including UCMP, YPM, and MO. The genus has 60862 occurrences and 185 records, with 131 associated media items.

Synthesized by Vinony from 23 facts across 6 sources: Wikidata, GBIF, Plants of the World, Gbif Occ, iDigBio, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Species

Paulownia

GENUS

  1. KingdomPlantae
  2. PhylumTracheophyta
  3. ClassMagnoliopsida
  4. OrderLamiales
  5. FamilyPaulowniaceae
Observations recorded60,862

via GBIF · Kew POWO

Museum specimens

Specimen records
185
With media
131
Family
Paulowniaceae
Collections
UCMP, YPM, MO
Recorded in
United States, Vietnam, Ecuador, Paraguay

~10 min read

Encyclopedic overview

6 sections
Contents
  • Morphology
  • Fossil record
  • Uses
  • Species
  • References
  • External links

Paulownia ( ) is a genus of seven to 17 species of hardwood trees (depending on taxonomic authority) in the family Paulowniaceae, the order Lamiales. The genus and family are native to east Asia and are widespread across China. The genus, originally Pavlovnia but now usually spelled Paulownia, was named in honour of Anna Pavlovna, queen consort of The Netherlands (1795–1865), daughter of Tsar Paul I of Russia. It is also called "princess tree" for the same reason.

It was originally sought after as an exotic ornamental tree in Europe and Asia, and later introduced to North America in 1844. Its fruits (botanically capsules) were also used as packaging material for goods shipped from East Asia to North America, leading to Paulownia groves where they were dumped near major ports. The tree has not persisted prominently in US gardens, in part due to its overwintering brown fruits that some consider ugly. In some areas it has escaped cultivation and is found in disturbed plots. Some US authorities consider the genus an invasive species, but in Europe, where it is also grown in gardens, it is not regarded as invasive.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Paulownia” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (18)