American Elm vs Empress Tree
Ulmus americana
Paulownia tomentosa
American Elm is fast growing, tall tree with a recognizable and pleasing shape.
It's well suited for urban environments because of its non-invasive roots and ability to grow on harsh sites (quite salt tolerant). American Elm develops a wide, dense canopy that provides shade for many city streets around North America.
The Empress Tree is a fast growing, ornamental shade tree. It has purple, fragrant flowers that are quite attractive. The flowers emerge before the leaves in early spring. The leaves of this tree can grow very large, up to 30 cm long.
As one of the fastest growing trees in the world, this tree has been given considerable attention for carbon sequestration projects. It drops many seeds which can make it invasive in warmer climates. Please do some research and plant the right tree in the right place.
The Empress tree’s genus name comes from Princess Paulowna, daughter of Tsar Paul I of Russia.