Introducing the Empress Tree,

also known as Fox Glove, Kiri and the Princess Tree.

photo credit: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/551550285596159402/

It's real name is a Paulownia.

There are different varieties of this beautiful tree. There is Elongata, Shan Tong, Fortunei, Catalpifolia, and Tomentosa. Each one has it's unique features and uses, but all are equally awesome!

I first discovered this beautiful smelling tree, the P. Tomentosa variety, this past spring while cutting grass in Missouri. It's intoxicating bouquet filled the air and it's vibrant purple flowers captured my eye.

I just recently harvested a bag full of seed pods off a P. Tomentosa from a neighbor nearby..... SCORE!

So, what's so special about this tree, other than it's beautiful and fragrant blooms?

Well, let me tell ya!

• It's flowers are edible. Quite tasty and sweet, in fact. They make a colorful addition to any salad or dish.
• It's flowers attract beneficial pollinators, such as honeybees.
• It's extremely large leaves are edible too! High in protein (upto 20%.) This makes them great for animal forage.
• It's very useful for creating large amounts of biomass for creating compost/soil.

• Some species of plantation Paulownia can be harvested for saw timber in as little as five years. Once the trees are harvested, they regenerate from their existing root systems, earning them the name of the "Phoenix tree." Source

• Paulownia has the ability to reclaim ecologically stressed and degenerate patches of land relatively quickly. Source

• It grows crazy fast. How fast? Crazy fast. We're talking 5-20 feet in its first year! Take a look at this 7 year old tree trunk's diameter!

That's crazy fast growth!

• As can be seen in the video, Paulownia is sought after for making plywood and veneers.
• It has been used to make musical instruments called Koto
• It great for making furniture. Japanese have been using this wood to make their decorative chests called Tansu for centuries.
• It rot and shrink resistant, meaning it's less likely to check and crack.

This really is an amazing tree!

One pod/husk is chocked full of tiny little seeds, hundreds per.

Progagation of these seeds is as easy as 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8

Thanks to Hunker.com for these easy steps.

Step 1

Fill a biodegradable container with a mixture of sand, vermiculite and peat moss.

Step 2

Put a pinch of seed on top of the planting medium, then cover the seeds with a patch of cheesecloth or tobacco plant bed net to hold them in place.

Step 3

Water the seeds enough to keep them moist but not saturated. As the seeds begin to grow, remove the cheesecloth and thin them until you only have one per container.

Step 4

Wait until the seedlings are 10 to 14 inches tall.

Step 5

Let the seedlings sit in a shady, moderately protected area for 3 to 5 days before planting.

Step 6

Use a tile shovel or backpack auger to make a hole slightly deeper than the container. Insert the seedling and the biodegradable container in the hole and then fill the area around it tightly with the removed soil.

Step 7

Put mulch around each seedling.

Step 8

Water the seedlings regularly.

Easy, Peasy, Lemon Squeezy!

I plan on planting hundreds of these on my property as an over-story or canopy layer in my developing food forests over the next decade. I'll start with P. Tomentosa and eventually pick up some Catalpapholia, Elongata, and Shan Tong to propagate and mix in. Permaculture Principle #10: Use and Value Diversity!

I'm going to be germinating the seeds I just harvested within the next few weeks. I'll be sure to chronicle the process and share it all with you over the next year.

Thanks for Reading!