The Princess Tree

(this photo of the princess tree was borrowed from flickr image under creative commons)

I started to write about the Alabama's Hickory Nut Tree. I have a beautiful one right outside my home, but It was too late to ring out the old digital camera. I went to Alabama's Forestry Management Website and decided to write about this beautiful tree that some call a nuisance.
The Royal Paulownia can reach about 50 feet high and it's a beauty. There are these large orchid like flowers that hang from the branches of the tree. You can find these trees around roadsides, and some people plant them in their yards. The branches on this tall climber are shiny grey like Chinese Botanicals and are actually grown in botanical all over the world. The tree's called a princess tree for it's regal shiny branches, light purple orchid like flowers and for it's heart shaped leaves.