Princess tree (Paulownia tomentosa) is a fast-growing, deciduous tree that was brought to America as a flowering ornamental in the 1830s and 40s. Native to China, the tree's woody seed pods were also commonly used as protective packing material for delicate porcelain shipped from China and Japan. When crates were unpacked in U.S. port cities, the discarded pods containing millions of seeds were dumped, and Paulownia trees popped up by the thousands. Brought here both intentionally and not, Paulo