The Indian Bean Tree, St James Square, Monmouth

The Indian Bean Tree
Indian Bean Tree in St James Square, behind the Monmouth War Memorial, September 2010
Alternative names	Catalpa bignonioides
General information
Address	St James Square
Town or city	Monmouth
Country	Wales
Coordinates	51°48′47″N 2°42′40″W / 51.813034°N 2.711059°W / 51.813034; -2.711059

St James Square in Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales is the site of a historic Indian Bean Tree. The Catalpa bignonioides, a native of the southeastern United States, was planted in the square in about 1900. It was joined by the Monmouth War Memorial in 1921. After more than one hundred years of presiding over the square, the tree became the focus of controversy when it was condemned by the Monmouthshire County Council in 2005. The decision was met with fierce community opposition. The parties involved resolved their differences in 2006, and the tree received treatment, albeit some of it unauthorized. By 2011, the Indian Bean Tree in St James Square was flourishing.