Any idea what this tree is? It's about 20 feet high, 18" base, I'd guess it could be as much as 30yrs old. The leaves are slightly fuzzy, heart shaped about 12" long. The pods are like a fruit inside, and are now all brown, split and empty.
Other species are in cultivation on the west coast - although all the different-looking specimens (growing outside of collections) that I have checked keyed out to P. tomentosa. The usual form is P. tomentosa 'Lilacina'. The straight species is less impressive visually and much less frequent in gardens here. You tell them apart based on the structure of the hairs on the leaves, the architecture of the inflorescence and details of the flowers etc.
I disagree, I have never seen a Paulownia t., look like this in the gardens and realm of Vancouver... but then again I haven't seen every tree of this genus/family either...
K Baron,Definitly Puaulownia tomentosa/ P.T.'lilacina'. In crisrods pics the seed pods are newly formed and still green. This pic shows them brown and splitting open. Possibly you will recognise it better looking like this. http://www.biosurvey.ou.edu/okwild/images/emptree3.jpg This pic shows the pod and seeds inside. http://images.google.com/imgres?img...microsoft:en-gb:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7SUNA&sa=N