Japanese Maple vs Northern Catalpa (Cigar Tree)

Japanese Maple is one of the most popular accent maples. Its long, fingered lobed leaves can be variegated in the summer with lighter shades of green, red, or even purple. Its autumn colour is a brilliant red that is uncommon in most plants, which adds nice contrast to your yard when planted near other trees.


The Japanese Maple is a diverse variety, there are over 1,000 cultivars with different sizes, shapes, and colours.

This species is extremely popular with bonsai enthusiasts.

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.

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