To be exact, the American Heritage Dictionary states that a Catalpa is “any of various, usually deciduous trees of the genus Catalpa, especially C. bignonioides or C. speciosa, native to the United States and having whorled, heart-shaped leaves, showy clusters of white flowers, and long, slender, cylindrical pods.”

To be even more exact, Native Americans called it the Catawba tree. A purported transcription error firmly planted the term Catalpa in botanical history, however.

Looming at left is the Northern Catalpa that stands outside my home office window. Captured in mid-June, this image shows the tree at the height of its blooming time. I chose the name Catalpa because of the identifying characteristics my business shares with its botanical namesake:

Another well-known specimen is the American whaling ship, Catalpa, which was involved in a famous 1876 jailbreak. If you have time, it's an interesting story. You can read about it here.