Catalpa Erubescens Purpurea Purple Indian Bean Tree

Catalpa Erubescens Purpurea or Purple Indian Bean Tree is a beautiful, late flowering deciduous tree with large attractive purple foliage and white bell-shaped flowers. It holds the RHS AGM and its medium size suits compact gardens.

Catalpa is a genus of late flowering trees native to tropical and temperate regions of East Asia, the Caribbean, and the eastern and south-eastern United States. The sub-species Catalpa Bignonioides is native to the United States where it’s called Indian Bean Tree and is often grown as a street tree. Catalpa erubescens Purpurea is a hybrid of the Indian Bean Tree. It retains its parent plant’s attractive nature and bean-like pods, but adds rich purple shades to its foliage. Young shoots and early leaves emerge blackish-purple and mature to dark green in late summer. As they mature, 3 cm white bell-shaped flowers with orange and purple markings bloom in large panicles. If pollinated, these flowers develop into long, slim bean-like seed capsules.

Purple Hybrid Catalpa takes a few years to mature and develop its flowers but it’s worth the wait.

Height And Spread of Catalpa Erubescens Purpurea
Purple Indian Bean Tree reaches 12 metres and spreads over 8 metres in 20-50 years.

How Hardy Is Catalpa Erubescens Purpurea
Its foliage looks delicate, but this is a hardy tree in the UK if its roots are well drained and it’s positioned in a sheltered spot.

How To Use Catalpa Erubescens Purpurea
This is an excellent specimen tree for a sheltered lawn where it grabs all the attention in summer. It also suits the back of a mixed border with other varieties of Indian Bean Trees such as Catalpa Bignonioides Nana and  Catalpa Bignonioides Aurea.

How To Care For Catalpa Erubescens Purpurea
Purple Hybrid Catalpa needs a moist but well-drained spot in a sunny position that’s sheltered from harsh winds that tear its large foliage.
It will grow in all types of soil including clay and chalk if it has wind protection and plenty of sun.  Young trees benefit from frost protection. Cover their branches in horticultural fleece when frost is forecast. Pruning isn’t necessary and will ruin the shape of the branches.
Give Purple Indian Bean Tree lots of water until you see new growth and add a thick layer of organic mulch to its roots in spring to help boost that rich foliage and stunning flowers later in summer.