Outdoors column: Uncommon catalpa tree has roots in the region's history Chicago Tribune #catalpa ancient local herbal staple! Revered for it's ancient wisdom, always a joy to find on the hiking trail! *broad spade leaves *lush perfume when flowering in May. *large green bean like beans Catalpas THE GARDEN WEBSITE.COM These are seed pods from Catalpa speciosa, a fast growing north american tree also known as The Bean Tree because of it's bean like pods