|
 Just outside the north entrance/exit to Westminster Hall--the building in which both Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Victoria lay in state, and also the place where the trial of King Charles I took place in 1649, there is a North American Catalpa Tree, popularly known as an "Indian Bean tree," an example of which can be found in Huffhines Park! According to the plaque seen here, they were introduced into England in 1726 from North America.
Catalpa trees, of which there are 12 types, are known for their lush, broad green leaves and long, pointed bean pods. They flower briefly in the spring.
According to one source, six Catalpa trees were planted around the British Parliament buildings in 1857, presumably including the one seen above (photographed in 2007). But who planted the one in Huffhines Park? Did it spring up naturally somehow? Or did someone deliberately plant it? And if so, when? If you know the answer, please email the host of this site at docbutler@yahoo.com.
 Interestingly, there is a worldwide online tree registry that includes the largest of the six in London. Its girth, according to its registration page, measured from a height of 1 meter (approx. 3 and 1/4 feet) from the ground, is 4.26 meters (about 14 feet). Its height is unknown. These measurements, by the way, date from 2009, so its likely to be bigger around and taller by now (spring 2025), if it is still standing. But that is not the one pictured above, which is obviously smaller.
Out of curiosity, on June 10, 2025, the host of this website measured the Catalpa tree in Huffhines Park, to see how it compares. The one in Huffhines Park is about 36 ft. 9 in. tall (11.20 meters). Its girth at a height of about 1 meter (just over 3 ft.) from the ground is almost exactly 6 ft. (1.83 meters).*
According to Google Lens (which doesn't always identify things correctly), the tree in Huffhines Park is likely a Northern Catalpa (or Catalpa Speciosa), whereas the one in London is a Southern Catalpa (or Catalpa bignonioides).
The Catalpa Tree in Huffhines Park is now registered on the Monumental Trees website, complete with height and girth measurements, map location, and PHOTO.
Want to know more? Here is a Wikipedia article about Catalpa Trees.
* In case you are wondering how I measured the height of the Catalpa tree in Huffhines Park, I took a photo of my wife standing at its base and then I used an image editing program or "app" to clip and copy her from the photo, and then pasted her image atop the original image and so on, until I got to the top of the tree. It took seven images altogether, including the original. She is 5 feet 3 inches or 63 inches tall, so I multiplied 63 x 7 and then divided the result by 12, giving 36.75 feet, or 36 feet, 9 inches. To measure the girth, I put a string around the tree and then, when I got home, I laid the string out straight on the ground and measured its length. It was almost exactly 6 feet.
|
