Paulownia kawakamii

{{Short description|Species of tree}}

{{Redirect|Sapphire dragon|the Dungeons & Dragons dragon|Dragon (Dungeons & Dragons)#Sapphire dragon}}

{{Speciesbox

|image = Paulownia-1.jpeg

|status = CR

|status_system = IUCN2.3

|status_ref = {{cite iucn |author=Pan, F.J. |date=1998 |title=Paulownia kawakamii |volume=1998 |page=e.T31352A9628559 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.1998.RLTS.T31352A9628559.en |access-date=14 November 2021}}

|genus = Paulownia

|species = kawakamii

|authority = Ito

}}

Paulownia kawakamii, commonly known as the sapphire dragon tree,{{cite web|url=http://ag.arizona.edu/gardening/news/azdailystar/sapphire_dragon_tree.html |title=Sapphire Dragon Tree |first=John |last=Begeman |publisher=University of Arizona |access-date=2009-09-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090614132424/http://ag.arizona.edu/gardening/news/azdailystar/sapphire_dragon_tree.html |archive-date=June 14, 2009 }} is a tree species in the family Paulowniaceae.

File:Paulownia-kawakamii-flowers.jpeg

The tree is native to Taiwan, eastern China, and Japan. It is deciduous and bears many large violet flowers in early spring before the leaves appear.

Paulownia kawakamii is an IUCN Red List critically endangered plant species, that is threatened by habitat destruction in its native range.[http://www.iucnredlist.org IUCN Red List of all Threatened Species].