James H. Schutte
Family
Bignoniaceae
Botanical Name
X Chitalpa tashkentensis 'Pink Dawn'
Plant Common Name
Pink Dawn Chitalpa
General Description
The tough and drought tolerant 'Pink Dawn' has chiffon-pink blooms with yellow, purple-veined throats. An unlikely hybrid between a tree native to the Southeast United States (Catalpa bignonioides) and a shrub native to the deserts of western North America (Chilopsis linearis), this remarkably tough small tree is grown for its showy summer-long display of sumptuous trumpet-shaped flowers. Oddly enough, the first X Chitalpa hybrids were bred in 1964 in Uzbekistan and brought to the United States in 1977 by renowned horticulturist Robert Hebb of the New York Botanic Garden.
Chitalpa trees are naturally multi-stemmed and deciduous. The narrowly lance-shaped leaves appear in spring and are downy and pale green. In fall they turn pretty shades of yellow. The prolific, showy blooms of X Chitalpa are large, frilly, trumpet-shaped, pink or white and have yellow and purple-striped centers. They are sterile and do not produce messy fruit, unlike the parent species, but the flowers are known to attract pollinators such as hummingbirds and bees.
Chitalpa likes sun and well-drained soil on the dry side. In fact, it will not tolerate excess water at the root zone, so be sure to plant in a drier more fast draining soil. Its bark is subject to sunscald, so avoid planting it in hot west-facing sites. Otherwise, it is a colorful and attractive small tree well adapted to hot, dry conditions. It drops its flowers after they wither, and these can be messy, so it may not be suitable for planting poolsides, patios, or walkways.
The foliage is susceptible to powdery mildew. Branches may also die back due to verticillium wilt.
Characteristics
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AHS Heat Zone
9 - 5
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USDA Hardiness Zone
6 - 11
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Sunset Zone
3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
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Plant Type
Tree
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Sun Exposure
Full Sun
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Height
15'-30' / 4.6m - 9.1m
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Width
15'-30' / 4.6m - 9.1m
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Bloom Time
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
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Native To
Hybrid Origin
Special Characteristics
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Bark Texture
Smooth
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Usage
Feature Plant, Mixed Border
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Sharp or Has Thorns
No
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Invasive
No
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Attracts
Hummingbirds, Butterflies
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Self-Sowing
No
