We meet - at a distance, of course - some interest characters on our trekking around Chiswick. The natives are very accustom to having foreign nationals around, with many different accents being heard in and around the streets. So, a couple of Aussies asking questions of the chap cutting back shrubs in St Peter’s Square Park was not an unusual happening.
The chap doing the trimming was one of the locals who maintain the garden in the park. We had been interested in a particular tree in the garden since we first saw it flowering in early spring, but could not find out what it’s was called.
Today we found out!
It was the paulownia tomentosa, with common names of; the Princess tree, Empress tree, or the fox-glove tree. It is a deciduous tree and a native of central China.
It was the paulownia tomentosa, with common names of; the Princess tree, Empress tree, or the fox-glove tree. It is a deciduous tree and a native of central China.
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| The Empress Tree in St Peter's Square Park. |
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The paulownia tomentosa flowering in early spring in St Peter’s Square.
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| Flowers, fruit, seed pods and leaves. |
The garden chap was telling us about the seed pods of the paulownia tomentosa - the Chinese used these for packing around breakable exports - the olden day's version of polystyrene. At the time, the American east coast railways were opening up the continent, boxes from China, with this packing material, would at times break open and the seeds would be dispersed along the tracks. This caused a massive growth of the paulownia tomentosa along the railway edges. Not a bad tree to have bordering railway lines.
In lockdown you come across a variety of interesting bits and pieces. One such has been a series of videos on how the London we see today has come about. you too, might find it interesting too.
How London boroughs came about.
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