Catalpa Beans

I was at one of my supply houses today and spotted this catalpa on the side of the building. Laden with beans. More or less a weed tree around here. The wood is okay for shoulder season. Texture and grain comparable to sassafras IME. Leaves are huge too.

 

Those big leaf bean trees definitely stand out once you know what they are. I’ve seen quite a few monster Catalpas up this way. Before I knew what they were I assumed they were some sort of invasive tree.

 

I got quite a few big ones (30+ bhd) around the barn. Crap wood but they sure are beautiful when they're in bloom

 

Kind of similar to Paulownia leaf. Paulownia is pretty invasive here. Not as bad as toh, but still stands out along the highway when in bloom.

 

This one right down the street from me. Not the best pic but gives an idea of the blooms

 

Are the catalpa beans good for anything? Maybe dry them and use for kindling/firestarters?

 

Baby catalpas.

 

Got a good laugh out of me! I looked it up JCMC and they are not.

 

Good for a sore back & tired shoulders after ya clean them outta your lawn.

 

Do you apply them topically or take internally?

 

I have several of them on our property. Only thing good about them is the worms that eat the leaves are good fishing bait. Seems like I see fewer and fewer worms every year though.

 

Word gets around on the worm grapevine!

 

Just don't try to make " coffee" from the beans.