princess tree (Paulownia tomentosa) observed in Maynardville, TN 37807, USA
iNaturalist: maddiejocek
Invasive Species
Princess tree can take over a disturbed hillside or woodland edge in just a few growing seasons, so spotting one near your property early gives you a real shot at removing it before it seeds out by the thousands.
Someone in Maynardville, Tennessee spotted and photographed a princess tree, and the iNaturalist community confirmed the identification, making it an official research-grade record. Princess tree is originally from China and grows incredibly fast — it can sprout from cut stumps and produces millions of tiny winged seeds that spread easily on the wind. It's considered invasive across much of the eastern United States because it crowds out native plants along roadsides, stream banks, and forest edges.
Key Findings
Research-grade observation confirmed in Maynardville, TN 37807, adding a verified locality record for Paulownia tomentosa in Union County, East Tennessee.
Princess tree is a prolific seed producer, capable of releasing up to 20 million seeds per tree annually, enabling rapid spread from a single specimen.
The species is documented as invasive across at least 25 U.S. states, particularly aggressive in disturbed habitats common to Appalachian ridge-and-valley terrain like the Maynardville area.
chevron_right Technical Summary
A princess tree (Paulownia tomentosa) was documented at research-grade quality in Maynardville, TN — expanding the confirmed range record for this fast-growing invasive species in East Tennessee.
Abstract Preview
Research-grade observation of princess tree in Maynardville, TN 37807, USA.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
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Paulownia tomentosa, common names princess tree, empress tree, or foxglove-tree, is a deciduous hardwood tree in the family Paulowniaceae, native to central and eastern China and the Korean Peninsula. It is an extremely fast-growing tree with seeds that disperse readily and is considered an invas...