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Empresstree

Paulownia tomentosa · Paulowniaceae

Your local evidence lens

Separate evidence questions, never one approval badge

Set a ZIP to compare this record with state distribution, native range, USDA hardiness, and invasive records.

A genus split is not a placement verdict. Set a ZIP to read the local documented split.

1. Fire evidence and conditions

Fire evidence: Fire-resistant — location does not change the cited classification.
Fire-performance conditions: No test or rating condition is normalized.
Fire ecology context: No section-reviewed fire-ecology context is normalized.
Placement evidence: 3 source placement records; source schemes remain separate.
Evidence regions: Catalonia, Spain; Global; Japan; Ohio / Midwest; Valencia, Spain / western Mediterranean; Virginia / Mid-Atlantic; eastern US
Maintenance: No sourced horticultural maintenance assertion is normalized; fire-test conditions do not supply maintenance advice.

Typed publication scope: 2 scopes across 2 cited fire sources

Firewise Landscaping (OSU Extension Bulletin 921) · Official scoped edition
- OH; partial normalized coverage · 2006-03-01
  Ohio State University Extension Bulletin 921 is an Ohio publication that describes Ohio fire seasons and landscape conditions and labels nativity to Ohio. FireApproved publishes 352 exact source-owning plant records from its eight rated tables. This historical publication scope does not assert current extension endorsement or that a listed plant suits every Ohio site.
Virginia Firescapes — Firewise Landscaping for Woodland Homes (430-300) · Official scoped edition
- VA; partial normalized coverage · 2009-04-15
  Virginia Cooperative Extension's publication opens with Virginia wildfire conditions, identifies its Virginia Firewise Landscaping Task Force, and labels plants native to Virginia. FireApproved publishes 306 exact source owners. Publication scope does not establish parcel suitability or current endorsement of this archived 2009 list.

2. Why this plant is relevant here

State distribution: Documented in AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WV.
Native range: No current cited or legacy state native range is normalized.
Introduced / established: 30 sourced range or established records; set a location to match them. This is not an invasive warning.
USDA hardiness: Documented minimum 6a; no upper limit is documented.

3. Legal, ecological, and broader status

Legal-list status: 2 legal-list records; set a location to match exact scope.
Seed-list status: Set a location to compare the separate state noxious-weed seed layer.
Reported invasive here: 1 ecological invasive report; set a location to distinguish exact from regional context.
Broader regional context: Aggregate AK, HI, and L48 evidence is shown only as regional context, never as an exact-state finding.
Federal context: Federal designations remain separate from state legal-list results.

How to read this page

The status above is computed from the cited rows below: independent recommendations can support a fire-resistant result, an avoid row can produce keep-away, and disagreement stays visible as conflict. Placement notes preserve each source’s own scheme rather than translating unlike rules into one scale. This is evidence about a plant, not permission to plant it in every part of the defensible space; Zone 0 remains noncombustible.

Empresstree (Paulownia tomentosa) — Photo: (c) Henry Miller, some rights reserved (CC BY) (CC BY), via iNaturalist. Species-typical, not necessarily this cultivar.

Form: tree
USDA hardiness: Minimum 6a; upper limit not documented
Mature height: ~50 ft
Light: Full sun
Water need: moderate
Grows in: AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL +20
Rated in: Catalonia, Spain; Global; Japan; Ohio / Midwest +3
Family: Paulowniaceae
Evidence: 33 cited sources

Native and introduced range evidence

These are exact U.S. botanical-area records from the cited range source. Native and introduced describe biogeographic relationship, not fire performance or planting approval. Doubtful and extinct rows stay visible but do not count as current presence.

Current native

0

exact source areas

Current introduced

30

exact source areas

Qualified

0

doubtful or extinct source rows

30 introduced source areas · World Checklist of Vascular Plants, version 16 v16, as of 2026-06-04

Alabama (AL)
Arkansas (AR)
Connecticut (CT)
District of Columbia (DC)
Delaware (DE)
Florida (FL)
Georgia (GA)
Hawaii (HI)
Illinois (IL)
Indiana (IN)
Kentucky (KY)
Louisiana (LA)
Massachusetts (MA)
Maryland (MD)
Missouri (MO)
Mississippi (MS)
North Carolina (NC)
New Jersey (NJ)
New York (NY)
Ohio (OH)
Oklahoma (OK)
Oregon (OR)
Pennsylvania (PA)
Rhode I. (RI)
South Carolina (SC)
Tennessee (TN)
Texas (TX)
Virginia (VA)
Washington (WA)
West Virginia (WV)

The lossless worldwide derivative is retained once in the research corpus; object pages repeat only exact U.S. areas needed by the local lens. The JSON twin carries the same page assertions.

Plant hardiness evidence

These values describe the plant source. Your ZIP zone comes from the separate 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Whole-zone values stay whole-zone, and a single unresolved value is not treated as a tolerance range. Different source boundaries stay separate: overlapping statements are compared independently, while only ranges with no shared zone are called a conflict.

Eastern United States Fire Performance Plant Selector · record paulownia-tomentosa · 2016-wayback · as of 2026-08-26

Source prints 5 · single-value meaning unresolved · whole zone precision · source stated

Source taxon: Paulownia tomentosa · exact match.

Source location: Cold Hardiness Zone field in the recovered selector record.

Not used for comparison: The recovered selector prints one Cold Hardiness Zone value but does not define it as a minimum threshold or a one-zone range.
USDA PLANTS Database — Plant Characteristics · record PATO2 · PLANTS Help Document 2022; characteristics cache retrieved 2026-08-23 · as of 2026-08-26

Minimum 6a · no upper limit documented · half zone precision · derived containing band

Exact source measurement: -8°F; mapped only to its containing half-zone.

Source taxon: Paulownia tomentosa · source identifier match.

Source location: PlantCharacteristics record 51620, Temperature, Minimum (°F).

Legal restrictions and listings.

ME · prohibited · Specified living-plant trade activities prohibited since 2018-01-01 · Authority: Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Source: Maine Chapter 273 Do Not Sell and Special Concern Lists , record maine:prohibited:028, 2026-08-26.

activity restriction: Living viable material may not be imported, exported, bought, sold, or intentionally propagated for sale or distribution. (official condition)
permit required: The State Horticulturist may permit importation and field experimentation for scientific, educational, or other approved purposes under prescribed conditions. (official condition)
material scope exception: Preserved herbarium specimens and material preserved by other means are exempt from Chapter 273. (official condition)

OH · prohibited · Listed invasive plant — specified sale, propagation, distribution, import, and dissemination activities prohibited · Authority: Ohio Department of Agriculture. Source: Ohio OAC 901:5-30-01 Invasive Plant Species , record ohio:901-5-30-01:A:043, 2026-08-26.

activity restriction: No person may sell, offer for sale, propagate, distribute, import, or intentionally cause the dissemination of this listed invasive plant in Ohio. (official condition)
material scope exception: Cultivated plants grown as food or livestock feed in accordance with generally accepted agricultural practices, including plants authorized by USDA APHIS, are excluded from the ORC 901.50 definition of invasive plant species. (official condition)
operational exception: Disposal and control are allowed only in a manner that does not result in further spread. (official condition)
permit required: Research or educational use requires an Ohio Department of Agriculture compliance agreement and must not result in further spread. (official condition)

Legal designations are separate from ecological invasion reports and fire performance. Read the named class, taxonomic scope, authority, and operating conditions before acting.

Where its sources say to plant it

Placement rules below use each source's own distances or named zones, tied to its rating. They are not interchangeable with the directory's current Zone 0 guidance.

Eastern United States Fire Performance Plant Selector: Landscape Zone 3 — 10–30 ft from the structure; thin vegetation, remove debris, and minimize plant massing [Fire Performance Plant Selector landscape zone] (mid-scale rating)
Guía de pirojardinería: suitable inside or outside the 25-metre maximum-risk zone [girona-2020-iuf-25m-suitability] (with its recommendation)
Tree fire-protection classification in Hito to Shinrin: キリ — Table 10-2 [tadaki-kira-1982-fire-protection-power] (mid-scale rating)

The evidence

Grouped by what each source concluded. Primary evidence rated the plant itself (a lab, field program, or original curation); corroboration compiled or republished another source's rating and resolves to its root lineage.

Mid-scale / conditional (2)

Eastern United States Fire Performance Plant Selector — USDA Forest Service Northeastern Area S&PF + state Firewise programs (WV, OH, PA, DE, DC, MD, NJ) · 2016-wayback · original source Primary evidence Keyed curation lineage: ufifas-srs-tree

“MODERATELY Firewise (2)”

Showy purple purple flower spikes in late spring. Fast growing and re-growing tree. Due to the great quantities of fine seed produced can become quite invasive.
Tree fire-protection classification in Hito to Shinrin (人と森林) — Kyoritsu Shuppan; table reproduced by Kagoshima Prefecture · Hito to Shinrin (1982), Table 10-2; Kagoshima web reproduction · original source Primary evidence Expert-curated lineage: independent (root of Japanese municipal fire-protection tree lists)

“中” · score 2 (tadaki-kira-fire-protection-power-0-3)

Table 10-2 prints キリ in the medium fire-protection-power class. The Kagoshima reproduction says highly fire-protective trees can slow spread, promote upward dispersal of heat and smoke, and intercept flying embers.

Listed without a rating (27)

FLAMITS: FLAMmability plant traiTS database — Dryad / Global Ecology and Biogeography · Dryad version 9 · original source Corroboration Trait database lineage: meta-aggregator

27 cited rows from this source; its identity, lineage and tier are stated once.
- “maximum flame temperature (°C): 271” · score 271 (FLAMITS — maximum flame temperature (°C))
  
  FLAMITS record 17487; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying no; device burning bench; site Lizhong2007-1; sampling ND. Primary study Lizhong2007: Lizhong, Y., Zaifu, G., Yupeng, Z., & Weicheng, F. (2007). The influence of different external heating ways on pyrolysis and spontaneous ignition of some woods. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 78, 4045.
- “maximum flame temperature (°C): 292” · score 292 (FLAMITS — maximum flame temperature (°C))
  
  FLAMITS record 17490; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying no; device burning bench; site Lizhong2007-1; sampling ND. Primary study Lizhong2007: Lizhong, Y., Zaifu, G., Yupeng, Z., & Weicheng, F. (2007). The influence of different external heating ways on pyrolysis and spontaneous ignition of some woods. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 78, 4045.
- “maximum flame temperature (°C): 283” · score 283 (FLAMITS — maximum flame temperature (°C))
  
  FLAMITS record 17493; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying no; device burning bench; site Lizhong2007-1; sampling ND. Primary study Lizhong2007: Lizhong, Y., Zaifu, G., Yupeng, Z., & Weicheng, F. (2007). The influence of different external heating ways on pyrolysis and spontaneous ignition of some woods. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 78, 4045.
- “time to flaming (s): 131.25” · score 131.25 (FLAMITS — time to flaming (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 17495; Ignitability measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying no; device burning bench; site Lizhong2007-1; sampling ND. Primary study Lizhong2007: Lizhong, Y., Zaifu, G., Yupeng, Z., & Weicheng, F. (2007). The influence of different external heating ways on pyrolysis and spontaneous ignition of some woods. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 78, 4045.
- “time to flaming (s): 96.75” · score 96.75 (FLAMITS — time to flaming (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 17499; Ignitability measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying no; device burning bench; site Lizhong2007-1; sampling ND. Primary study Lizhong2007: Lizhong, Y., Zaifu, G., Yupeng, Z., & Weicheng, F. (2007). The influence of different external heating ways on pyrolysis and spontaneous ignition of some woods. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 78, 4045.
- “time to flaming (s): 83.25” · score 83.25 (FLAMITS — time to flaming (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 17503; Ignitability measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying no; device burning bench; site Lizhong2007-1; sampling ND. Primary study Lizhong2007: Lizhong, Y., Zaifu, G., Yupeng, Z., & Weicheng, F. (2007). The influence of different external heating ways on pyrolysis and spontaneous ignition of some woods. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 78, 4045.
- “time to flaming (s): 66” · score 66 (FLAMITS — time to flaming (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 17506; Ignitability measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying no; device burning bench; site Lizhong2007-1; sampling ND. Primary study Lizhong2007: Lizhong, Y., Zaifu, G., Yupeng, Z., & Weicheng, F. (2007). The influence of different external heating ways on pyrolysis and spontaneous ignition of some woods. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 78, 4045.
- “maximum energy flux (kW/m²): 28.9” · score 28.9 (FLAMITS — maximum energy flux (kW/m²))
  
  FLAMITS record 17511; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying no; device burning bench; site Lizhong2007-1; sampling ND. Primary study Lizhong2007: Lizhong, Y., Zaifu, G., Yupeng, Z., & Weicheng, F. (2007). The influence of different external heating ways on pyrolysis and spontaneous ignition of some woods. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 78, 4045.
- “maximum energy flux (kW/m²): 34.3” · score 34.3 (FLAMITS — maximum energy flux (kW/m²))
  
  FLAMITS record 17514; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying no; device burning bench; site Lizhong2007-1; sampling ND. Primary study Lizhong2007: Lizhong, Y., Zaifu, G., Yupeng, Z., & Weicheng, F. (2007). The influence of different external heating ways on pyrolysis and spontaneous ignition of some woods. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 78, 4045.
- “maximum energy flux (kW/m²): 39.8” · score 39.8 (FLAMITS — maximum energy flux (kW/m²))
  
  FLAMITS record 17517; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying no; device burning bench; site Lizhong2007-1; sampling ND. Primary study Lizhong2007: Lizhong, Y., Zaifu, G., Yupeng, Z., & Weicheng, F. (2007). The influence of different external heating ways on pyrolysis and spontaneous ignition of some woods. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 78, 4045.
- “mass loss rate per area (g/m² s): 18.4” · score 18.4 (FLAMITS — mass loss rate per area (g/m² s))
  
  FLAMITS record 17519; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying no; device burning bench; site Lizhong2007-1; sampling ND. Primary study Lizhong2007: Lizhong, Y., Zaifu, G., Yupeng, Z., & Weicheng, F. (2007). The influence of different external heating ways on pyrolysis and spontaneous ignition of some woods. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 78, 4045.
- “mass loss rate per area (g/m² s): 20” · score 20 (FLAMITS — mass loss rate per area (g/m² s))
  
  FLAMITS record 17523; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying no; device burning bench; site Lizhong2007-1; sampling ND. Primary study Lizhong2007: Lizhong, Y., Zaifu, G., Yupeng, Z., & Weicheng, F. (2007). The influence of different external heating ways on pyrolysis and spontaneous ignition of some woods. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 78, 4045.
- “mass loss rate per area (g/m² s): 30” · score 30 (FLAMITS — mass loss rate per area (g/m² s))
  
  FLAMITS record 17527; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying no; device burning bench; site Lizhong2007-1; sampling ND. Primary study Lizhong2007: Lizhong, Y., Zaifu, G., Yupeng, Z., & Weicheng, F. (2007). The influence of different external heating ways on pyrolysis and spontaneous ignition of some woods. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 78, 4045.
- “mass loss rate per area (g/m² s): 19.4” · score 19.4 (FLAMITS — mass loss rate per area (g/m² s))
  
  FLAMITS record 17530; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying no; device burning bench; site Lizhong2007-1; sampling ND. Primary study Lizhong2007: Lizhong, Y., Zaifu, G., Yupeng, Z., & Weicheng, F. (2007). The influence of different external heating ways on pyrolysis and spontaneous ignition of some woods. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 78, 4045.
- “rate of burning spread (cm/s): 0.001” · score 0.001 (FLAMITS — rate of burning spread (cm/s))
  
  FLAMITS record 17535; Sustainability measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying no; device burning bench; site Lizhong2007-1; sampling ND. Primary study Lizhong2007: Lizhong, Y., Zaifu, G., Yupeng, Z., & Weicheng, F. (2007). The influence of different external heating ways on pyrolysis and spontaneous ignition of some woods. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 78, 4045.
- “rate of burning spread (cm/s): 0.001433333” · score 0.001433333 (FLAMITS — rate of burning spread (cm/s))
  
  FLAMITS record 17538; Sustainability measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying no; device burning bench; site Lizhong2007-1; sampling ND. Primary study Lizhong2007: Lizhong, Y., Zaifu, G., Yupeng, Z., & Weicheng, F. (2007). The influence of different external heating ways on pyrolysis and spontaneous ignition of some woods. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 78, 4045.
- “rate of burning spread (cm/s): 0.001683333” · score 0.001683333 (FLAMITS — rate of burning spread (cm/s))
  
  FLAMITS record 17541; Sustainability measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying no; device burning bench; site Lizhong2007-1; sampling ND. Primary study Lizhong2007: Lizhong, Y., Zaifu, G., Yupeng, Z., & Weicheng, F. (2007). The influence of different external heating ways on pyrolysis and spontaneous ignition of some woods. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 78, 4045.
- “rate of burning spread (cm/s): 0.001866667” · score 0.001866667 (FLAMITS — rate of burning spread (cm/s))
  
  FLAMITS record 17544; Sustainability measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying no; device burning bench; site Lizhong2007-1; sampling ND. Primary study Lizhong2007: Lizhong, Y., Zaifu, G., Yupeng, Z., & Weicheng, F. (2007). The influence of different external heating ways on pyrolysis and spontaneous ignition of some woods. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 78, 4045.
- “time to flaming (s): 30” · score 30 (FLAMITS — time to flaming (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 18848; Ignitability measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Harada2001-1; sampling ND. Primary study Harada2001: Harada, T. (2001). Time to ignition, heat release rate and fire endurance time of wood in cone calorimeter test. Fire Materials, 25, 1617.
- “time to flaming (s): 14” · score 14 (FLAMITS — time to flaming (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 18849; Ignitability measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Harada2001-1; sampling ND. Primary study Harada2001: Harada, T. (2001). Time to ignition, heat release rate and fire endurance time of wood in cone calorimeter test. Fire Materials, 25, 1617.
- “time to flaming (s): 10” · score 10 (FLAMITS — time to flaming (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 18850; Ignitability measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Harada2001-1; sampling ND. Primary study Harada2001: Harada, T. (2001). Time to ignition, heat release rate and fire endurance time of wood in cone calorimeter test. Fire Materials, 25, 1617.
- “mass loss rate per area (g/m² s): 5.9” · score 5.9 (FLAMITS — mass loss rate per area (g/m² s))
  
  FLAMITS record 18963; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Harada2001-1; sampling ND. Primary study Harada2001: Harada, T. (2001). Time to ignition, heat release rate and fire endurance time of wood in cone calorimeter test. Fire Materials, 25, 1617.
- “mass loss rate per area (g/m² s): 6.6” · score 6.6 (FLAMITS — mass loss rate per area (g/m² s))
  
  FLAMITS record 18964; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Harada2001-1; sampling ND. Primary study Harada2001: Harada, T. (2001). Time to ignition, heat release rate and fire endurance time of wood in cone calorimeter test. Fire Materials, 25, 1617.
- “mass loss rate per area (g/m² s): 8” · score 8 (FLAMITS — mass loss rate per area (g/m² s))
  
  FLAMITS record 18965; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Harada2001-1; sampling ND. Primary study Harada2001: Harada, T. (2001). Time to ignition, heat release rate and fire endurance time of wood in cone calorimeter test. Fire Materials, 25, 1617.
- “energy flux (kW/m²): 75” · score 75 (FLAMITS — energy flux (kW/m²))
  
  FLAMITS record 19078; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Harada2001-1; sampling ND. Primary study Harada2001: Harada, T. (2001). Time to ignition, heat release rate and fire endurance time of wood in cone calorimeter test. Fire Materials, 25, 1617.
- “energy flux (kW/m²): 83” · score 83 (FLAMITS — energy flux (kW/m²))
  
  FLAMITS record 19079; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Harada2001-1; sampling ND. Primary study Harada2001: Harada, T. (2001). Time to ignition, heat release rate and fire endurance time of wood in cone calorimeter test. Fire Materials, 25, 1617.
- “energy flux (kW/m²): 96” · score 96 (FLAMITS — energy flux (kW/m²))
  
  FLAMITS record 19080; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Harada2001-1; sampling ND. Primary study Harada2001: Harada, T. (2001). Time to ignition, heat release rate and fire endurance time of wood in cone calorimeter test. Fire Materials, 25, 1617.

Last verified 2026-08-23. JSON (CC BY 4.0)

Profiles: USDA PLANTS · GBIF · iNaturalist · Wikidata · ITIS

Paulownia tomentosa (Empresstree). FireApproved. https://fireapproved.com/plants/paulownia-tomentosa/. Last verified 2026-08-23.