Re: Chitalpa Query

Title: Re: Chitalpa Query
Never heard of Chitalpa.
Does it also have the poisonous beans that hang down?
Does it get as big?
Catalpa is the favorite tree for totem poles in these parts, the wood is
white and clear, and lasts well once finished. Ants and termites seem to
avoid it.

I've always liked the flowers on the Catalpa tree, but a child on our block
ate a bean and died, way back when I was a kid. Can't bring myself to plant
one. There is no known antidote for the poison.
Something in me hopes there is a less toxic cousin out there.

Is there an online Nursery with a picture of a Chitalpa?
Tim Chavez  Wichita Kansas  Zone 6


Tim...

As I mentioned before, Chitalpa is a bigeneric cross between Chilopsis, a desert dwelling shrub of the south west and Catalpa (don't know what species).   Since they are both in the Bignoniaceae, I would suspect their flowers and fruiting pods to be somewhat similar, the flower on Chilopsis being somewhat pinker than Catalpa.  Chilopsis, from what I see from my specimen, will be more shrub like and less tree like.  I'm not aware of any photos available on-line.

With regard to toxicity, I'll have to argue with you here, since there is no reference to toxicity in Poisonous Plants of the United States  by Walter Muenscher (MacMillan), other than the mention that the flowers can produce an dermatitis in susceptible individuals, nor is there any reference in the National Library of Medicine to any species of Catalpa as being toxic.   That said, you must allow for individuals who may have an allergic reaction to any number of compounds.   A good example is peanuts.   Anaphylactic reactions to peanuts are not uncommon, although they are not considered poisonous.  I think that these species can be planted with relative safety.

--
Don Martinson
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Mailto:llmen@execpc.com

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