How to Identify a Purple-Flowered Tree in Tennessee

The tall purple-flowered trees scattered along Tennessee highways are often princess trees (Paulownia tomentosa), while smaller trees covered in tight pink-purple clusters are usually eastern redbuds (Cercis canadensis). Purple color alone can mislead: a flowering vine climbing through a tree can create the same distant effect. Use the flower shape, leaf arrangement, and seed pods to identify what you are seeing.

Why Tennessee Roadsides Turn Purple in Spring

Roadside banks, forest edges, and disturbed ground make flowering trees especially visible in spring, before surrounding hardwoods fully leaf out. From a moving car, the large lavender flower clusters of a princess tree can look much like the finer rose-purple bloom of a redbud.

Princess tree, also called empress tree or royal paulownia, is a nonnative tree that has escaped cultivation in much of the eastern United States. It can establish in disturbed places, including roadsides, rocky slopes, and field edges.

Eastern redbud is a native eastern North American understory tree. It is common in woods, along woodland margins, and in Tennessee landscapes, where its flowers appear directly on bare branches before the leaves emerge.

A third possibility is oriental wisteria. Wisteria is a vine, not a tree, but a mature vine can climb high into an existing tree and drape it with hanging purple flower clusters.

Flower structure and leaf form are more reliable than purple color: large trumpets with huge opposite velvety leaves point to princess tree, while small pea-like flowers clustered on bare branches point to redbud.

How to Identify a Tennessee Purple-Flowered Tree

Use this comparison before deciding whether the tree is a native redbud, a princess tree, or a vine growing over another tree.

Feature	Princess Tree	Eastern Redbud
Scientific name	Paulownia tomentosa	Cercis canadensis
Flowers	Fragrant, trumpet-shaped, pale purple outside and nearly white inside; individual flowers can reach 2 inches long	Rose-purple, pea-shaped flowers; 2–8 flowers per cluster, with flowers ¼–⅜ inch long on stalks ¼–¾ inch long
Mature size	Usually 30–60 feet tall and 20–30 feet wide	Standard cultivars commonly reach 20–30 feet tall with a 25–35 foot spread
Leaves	Opposite, heart-shaped, soft and velvety; usually 5–12 inches across and sometimes more than 2 feet across	Alternate, heart-shaped leaves with a smooth upper surface
Clues after bloom	Woody seed capsules and fuzzy cinnamon-colored flower buds remain on branch tips in winter	Flat, leathery reddish-brown pods 3–4 inches long and about ½ inch wide

Step 1: Look Closely at the Flowers

Look for large, open trumpets if the tree is still blooming. Princess-tree flowers are pale lavender to purple on the outside, lighter inside, and occur in showy clusters. A flower up to 2 inches long fits princess tree well.
Look for small flowers pressed close to twigs and branches if you suspect redbud. Eastern redbud has clusters of 2–8 small rose-purple flowers, each only ¼–⅜ inch long. Their shape resembles a sweet-pea or other legume flower rather than a trumpet.
Notice where the flowers sit. Princess-tree flowers are carried in prominent upright clusters toward branch ends. Redbud flowers seem to hug the bare branches, including older wood and parts of the trunk.
Check whether the purple bloom hangs in long, dangling strings. That pattern suggests wisteria growing over a tree rather than a purple-flowering tree itself.

Step 2: Check the Leaves and Overall Tree Size

Wait for leaves if the bloom has already passed, then look at how leaves attach to the twig. Princess-tree leaves grow opposite one another, with two leaves directly across from each other at a node. Redbud leaves are alternate, appearing one at a time along the twig.
Feel a fallen leaf only if it is safe and practical to reach. Princess-tree leaves are noticeably velvety and roughly heart-shaped. They are commonly 5–12 inches in diameter, and vigorous young trees can produce leaves more than 2 feet across. These oversized, soft leaves are one of the clearest summer clues.
Judge the scale of the tree. A full-grown princess tree is typically 30–60 feet tall and 20–30 feet wide, making it much larger and more upright than most redbuds.
Compare that with a standard redbud in a home landscape. Standard redbud cultivars commonly mature at 20–30 feet tall with a 25–35 foot spread. Confirm the expected size of a particular redbud cultivar on its nursery tag, because named varieties can differ from the standard range.

Photos in the University of Maryland Extension princess-tree profile can help confirm princess tree by showing its oversized leaves, seed capsules, and winter buds.

Step 3: Use Pods and Winter Buds After Flowering Ends

Look beneath a redbud in summer or fall for flat, hanging pods. A redbud pod is leathery, reddish brown at maturity, 3–4 inches long, and about ½ inch wide. The pods taper at both ends and can remain visible after leaves fall.
Check bare branch tips on a suspected princess tree during winter. Look for both old, dry seed capsules and felted, cinnamon-colored flower buds. Seeing those two features together is a strong princess-tree confirmation when purple flowers are no longer present.
Do not rely on bark alone. Young redbud bark is relatively smooth and reddish brown to gray, while older trunks develop grooves and small blocky plates. Bark is useful support for an identification, but leaves, flowers, pods, and buds are more dependable.

Photos in the Missouri Department of Conservation eastern redbud guide can help confirm redbud by showing its small flower clusters, heart-shaped leaves, and pods through the seasons.

Step 4: Rule Out a Purple Vine or Purple Foliage Tree

Trace purple flowers back to their stems. If the flowers are on a woody vine that wraps around a trunk or hangs from branches, the purple display is likely wisteria rather than the tree’s own bloom.
Separate purple leaves from purple flowers. Ornamental trees with burgundy, plum, or purple foliage can look purple from a distance, but their leaves, not their spring blossoms, create the color.
Look for green foliage after flowering. Both princess tree and eastern redbud have green leaves in summer. A tree that remains dark purple through the growing season belongs in a different group from either of these spring-flowering trees.

Choosing a Purple-Flowered Tree for a Tennessee Garden

For a small or medium spring-flowering tree, eastern redbud is usually the better fit. It is native to eastern North America, has a manageable mature form, and provides flowers before its leaves open.

Choose a redbud based on the space you can give its mature canopy, not the size of the sapling at purchase. Standard redbuds commonly grow 20–30 feet tall and spread 25–35 feet wide; use the cultivar label or nursery tag to confirm the expected dimensions of a named selection.

Princess tree is not a good substitute simply because it grows quickly and has dramatic blooms. Its large size, brittle growth, and abundant seed production can create long-term management problems. For spring color in a Tennessee garden, redbud is the practical alternative.

Redbud flowers are also edible and have a mild, sweet, pea-like flavor. Only use flowers from a tree you have correctly identified and that has not been treated with products unsuitable for edible plants.

Managing an Existing Princess Tree

A princess tree on your own land deserves attention before it produces or spreads more seed. Avoid intentionally planting, moving, or sharing its seed capsules.

Cutting a princess tree once does not necessarily finish the job. A cut tree can regrow more than 10 feet tall in a single growing season, so a removal plan needs follow-up rather than a one-time cut.

For a tree on a roadside, utility corridor, public right-of-way, or neighboring property, do not attempt removal yourself. Report it to the appropriate landowner or road authority. For a tree on your farm, home lot, or field edge, plan for follow-up before cutting a large tree, especially where regrowth could be a concern.

Confirm the Identification Before You Plant or Remove Anything

Use this short checklist when the tree is accessible:

Purple flowers are large, pale trumpet shapes: likely princess tree.
Purple flowers are small, pea-shaped clusters attached close to bare branches: likely eastern redbud.
Leaves are opposite, very large, and velvety: likely princess tree.
Leaves are alternate and heart-shaped, followed by narrow flat pods: likely redbud.
Winter branch tips hold dry capsules and fuzzy cinnamon-colored buds: likely princess tree.
Purple flowers hang from a twining stem instead of tree branches: likely wisteria.

Take clear photos of the entire tree, a close-up of flowers or buds, a leaf attached to its twig, and any pod or seed capsule. Those four views give a county Extension office, native-plant group, or local Master Gardener program enough information to make a much more confident identification.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the purple trees along Tennessee highways?

Many of the tall lavender-purple trees along Tennessee highways are princess trees, Paulownia tomentosa. They have showy trumpet flowers that can reach 2 inches long, oversized velvety leaves, and a mature size of roughly 30–60 feet tall.

What native tree has purple flowers in Tennessee?

Eastern redbud, Cercis canadensis, is the most likely native tree. Its flowers are rose-purple and pea-shaped, with 2–8 flowers per cluster; individual flowers measure ¼–⅜ inch long.

How can I identify a princess tree when it is not blooming?

Check for opposite, velvety, heart-shaped leaves that are commonly 5–12 inches across and may exceed 2 feet across on vigorous growth. In winter, look at bare branch tips for both dry old seed capsules and fuzzy cinnamon-colored flower buds.

What are the purple-leaf trees in Tennessee?

Purple-leaf trees have burgundy or dark plum foliage through much of the growing season, rather than a brief flush of spring flowers. Princess tree and eastern redbud both leaf out green, so a tree that stays purple after bloom is likely a different ornamental species.

Is princess tree hard to get rid of?

Princess tree can be hard to get rid of because a cut tree may regrow more than 10 feet in a single season. If it is on your property, make an identification first, then get a local follow-up control plan rather than treating one cut as a finished removal.