Paulownia, bluebell tree (Paulownia tomentosa) is a tree species that was originally native to East Asia, China, Japan and Korea, where it is known as Kiri. The first bluebell trees arrived in Europe around 1843 and were botanically classified and described. They were named after the Russian Queen Anna Pavlovna (1795-1865), which is why they are sometimes also called Royal Paulownia or Princess Trees. It was given the name blue bell tree because of its attractive blue bell-shaped flowers and thus became Emperor Franz Joseph's favorite tree. Paulownias grow extraordinarily quickly, with trees growing up to 15 meters high in just 10 years, a growth in length of 1-2 meters per year is possible and the trunk diameter can reach 30 - 45 cm. The wood of the tree is very light and strong, the typical weight is 270-300 kg/m3 with amazingly high strength and hardness, which is many times higher than the well-known light wood balsa. It is also called renewable aluminum because of these amazing properties. The wood is light in color, ranging from a delicate honey yellow to light grey, and the surface often has a silky sheen. The characteristic coarse grain of the wood is striking due to its widely spaced annual rings; widths of two to four centimetres are not uncommon. The grain is usually straight, with large pores giving the wood a striped, porous appearance. Traditionally popular as furniture wood in Japan, paulownia is also used for plywood, veneers, boxes, paneling, musical instruments (electric guitars), clogs, carvings and other small applications.
Due to its lightness, strength and dimensional stability at a high flash point, it is a sought-after material in house building, ski, boat, furniture and instrument making. It has been cultivated in large plantations for several years in order to meet the high demand.
