Ecophysiological study of Paulownia tomentosa

This Paulownia tomentosa (Princesstree, Empress tree) is a deciduoustree in the familyPaulowniaceae, native to central and western China. It is an extremely fast-growing tree, and is a persistent exotic invasive in North America.This tree grows 10–25 m tall, with large heart-shaped to five-lobed leaves 15–40 cm across, arranged in opposite pairs on the stem. The very fragrant flowers are produced before the leaves in early spring, on panicles 10–30 cm long, with a tubular purple corolla 4–6 cm long resembling a foxglove flower. The fruit is a dry egg-shaped capsule 3–4 cm long, containing numerous tiny seeds. The seeds are winged and disperse by wind and water. Paulownia tomentosa can survive wildfire because the roots can regenerate new, very fast-growing stems. It is tolerant of pollution and it is not fussy about soil type. For this reason, it functions ecologically as a pioneer plant. Its nitrogen-rich leaves provide good fodder and its roots prevent soil erosion. It is able to grow from small cracks in pavements and walls.Paulownia tomentosa is cultivated as an ornamental tree in parks and gardens and is cultivated in all continents. All in all, this tree has popularity all over the world and needs to more attention. In this research, the ecophysiology of this plant has been studied. In first step, all related data were collected and then, after assessing their validity, the related data were extracted and combined and finally some suggestions are offered to improveand protect of this tree.