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American Elm vs Northern Catalpa (Cigar Tree)
Ulmus americana
Catalpa speciosa
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.
Northern Catalpa is a striking feature tree with showy flowers, and very large leaves. Its orchid-like flowers are white with yellow and purple accents, and they have a pleasant fragrance. They bloom from late spring to early summer and can last up to two weeks, attracting hummingbirds and pollinators. The leaves are very large, ranging from 15-30 cm long, 12-20 cm wide, forming a canopy that makes it a good shade tree.
They can tolerate dry conditions as well as standing water, air pollution, and salt. These factors and its beauty contribute to its growing popularity as both a boulevard and ornamental tree in colder areas.
Northern Catalpa produces long bean-like capsules and are sometimes called the Cigar Tree in reference to this fruit.