The seven letter word flowering tree you're looking for is catalpa. This answer shows up in crossword puzzles and word games often. Catalpa is a real tree you can find growing in parks and yards across the eastern United States. Now you can fill in those boxes and move on.
Catalpa is a top flowering tree crossword answer because puzzle makers love the word. It has common letters that fit well with crossing words in the grid. It's also tricky enough to stump you for a few minutes. But unlike some puzzle answers, this word points to an actual tree with a story worth knowing.
I first spotted a catalpa in an old neighborhood park and had no idea what I was looking at. The heart-shaped leaves were enormous, measuring 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 centimeters) long. Then I noticed long bean-like seed pods hanging from the branches. Some of those pods stretched 10 to 18 inches (25 to 46 centimeters) in length. When I came back in late spring, the tree was covered in clusters of white flowers with yellow and purple streaks inside each bloom.
Catalpa belongs to a small North American genus with two main species. The northern catalpa grows into a tall shade tree reaching 40 to 60 feet (12 to 18 meters) at maturity. The southern catalpa stays a bit smaller at 25 to 40 feet (7.6 to 12 meters). Both species thrive in zones 4 through 8 and bloom in late spring to early summer. The flowers look like small orchids with ruffled white petals. Yellow ridges and purple spots guide bees inside each bloom.
Another 7 letter flowering tree you should know for word games is dogwood. It also has seven letters and shows up in puzzle clues too. Knowing both words helps you when crossing letters narrow down which one fits. Basswood is yet another seven-letter tree name you might run into.
I came back to that same catalpa tree during peak bloom season and the display won me over. The white flower clusters covered every branch and the fragrance hit me from 20 feet away. Bees were all over the flowers and a hummingbird hovered near the top of the canopy. It convinced me that this tree is worth growing despite its messy habits.
Should you plant a catalpa in your yard? That depends on how you feel about mess. On the plus side, catalpas grow fast, provide dense shade within a few years, and bloom with stunning flowers each spring. The blooms pull in hummingbirds and large bees to your yard. On the downside, those giant leaves pile up thick each fall. The long seed pods litter your ground through winter.
If you do plant one, give it plenty of open space away from your patio and walkways. You don't want seed pods and fallen leaves on your pavement. Catalpas work best as backyard shade trees where their mess falls on grass. Give yours full sun and room for the canopy to spread 30 to 40 feet (9 to 12 meters) wide.
You can buy a young catalpa at most nurseries that carry native trees. Expect to pay $30 to $60 for a container-grown tree that's 4 to 6 feet tall. These trees put on 3 to 5 feet of new growth per year in good soil. You'll have shade and flowers faster than you would with slower species like oaks or maples.
You'll get a fast-growing shade tree with one of the showiest flower displays of any native species. And the next time you see "seven letter flowering tree" in your crossword puzzle, you'll know the answer and the real tree behind it. Your fellow puzzle fans will thank you for the tip when you share it with them.
Read the full article: Best Flowering Trees for Your Yard
