Land Plants - non-native

Empress tree (Paulownia tomentosa) on Aug 4, 2024

Submitter does not have a specimen

Description of specimen

It's a Paulownia tomentosa tree. You can see it right next to you while walking on the sidewalk in this area of Gaarde. I've eradicated several of them for my clients over the years so I am able to identify them easily. I also further identified it with my Plant Finder app, which confirmed what I suspected it was. You can even see the tree clearly from typing that address into Google maps and swiveling around on street view.

Commentary

Hi Jim. Thanks for reporting this! We don't do any treatment or control for Empress tree, but we're keeping an eye on it to see if it spreads. It is an non-native ornamental plant that's currently not listed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Its buds are extremely sensitive to cold, so they can be easily damaged by frost. Another drawback is that this tree has weak wood that's easily damaged by wind and rainstorms.

The priority invasive plants we're prioritizing (to list a few) are woody knotweed, garlic mustard, purple loosestrife, giant hogweed, spurge laurel, oblong spurge and pokeweed. If you see any of these weeds in Washington County, please report to the Hotline.

Thanks again and have a great rest of your week!

Keith Nasman
Invasive Species Technician
Tualatin Soil & Water Conservation District
971-330-0902
keith.nasman@tualatinswcd.org

Keith Nasman
Aug. 6, 2024, 8:40 a.m.

Location

There is a Paulownia tomentosa located at this area of Gaarde St. In Tigard. The tree is above a Retaining Wall, in front of a fence, facing the street. It's actually located on the property 14015 SW 118th Ct, Tigard, which is a flag lot on a street coming off of Garde. But I don't think these homeowners even realize it's on their property or know what it is.

Expert Reviewer

Keith Nasman
Tualatin SWCD

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