What in God's Name is This?

This looks like a Baobab wanna be tree.

I turned around after seeing these and shot from my car. Weirdest tree I have ever seen on someone's lawn...

A hat-rack.

Resin

Is that the common name or the Latin? :)

I'd put my money on Paulownia tomentosa...

Sad to say - that tree appears to have been "topped": Please see these images:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Trees+that+are+topped&rlz=1C1KAFB_enUS563US564&espv=210&es_sm=93&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=8gYdU4aPBOWSyAH8rICoDw&ved=0CCkQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=687

It's an awful practice that people use to control tree height or growth, and as you can see it results in terrible stress which causes the tree to form tons of suckers which then develop into weak branches. The wounds from topping often do not heal completely, nutrients no longer reach the top, insects party in the cuts and decay begins. Often there is rot, resulting in hollow limbs, which pose a hazard and the limbs have to be removed.

There has been a lot of literature produced in an effort to get people to stop doing this, but as you can see it hasn't reached everyone.

I cringe every time I see one.

It would take such an effort to do this and it is so bad for the tree. There were no power lines anywhere near it. Why even bother?

I cringe as well.

It's very strange. When you look at the site I linked, you will see that many of the trees were standing in the open, almost as specimens.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollarding

This is an old practice in Europe, not only for its practical purposes but also for aesthetic reasons. It's not an effect that everyone will like. Though it does have disadvantages, when done well it can produce trees that look painfully tortured and sculpted as such.

Platanus is a popular genus for this practice and I think that that is what's pictured above.

Pollarding trees isn't really to my taste, but I must say I saw a boulevard in Dresden lined w/ pollarded lindens which actually were pretty attractive (in leaf)...

I'm with Wee. I don't care for it personally but I have seen it done beautifully in Europe. The picture sent above seems rather, well, artless.

I love lindens, and I have seen them pollarded by people who knew how to do it properly. I like to respect other cultural practices but out of leaf I find them, at best, grotesque. It looks like the poor darling things are being tortured.

There is a man around the corner who cuts all the branches off his 5 Catalpa trees every fall. It's ugly and the trees are obviously sickly. The leaves don't get as big and they're yellowish instead of green. He lost one tree a few years ago and got another just like it to torture. It make me cringe every time I have drive by.

I was just reading articles that make it clear that some people have no idea of the eventual size of a mature catalpa. In my former community the developers were planting them less than ten feet apart on parkways, and close to houses. They will be hacking away at them in a few years. There is a street on the north side of Chicago called catalpa because of the magnificent hundred year old ones that are there. Gorgeous in full leaf and flower, they are huge and magnificent. I hear people talk about trees they planted as "nuisances" to be handled because they did not take into consideration the ultimate height and width.

A case of 'the right plant in the right place.' Catalpas are beautiful when left to grow naturally. These just look like giant mushrooms.

Well said!

Agreed, even though I love the effect of pollarding, a naturally grown catalpa is a lovely plant and, probably nicer as such.

I used to work at the Arnold Arboretum where they have a weeping Catalpa. I've been looking for one ever since but I suspect that theirs is too unusual to find elsewhere. It looks a lot like a Camperdown Elm but with the big meaty leaves of the Catalpa.

That would be something to see. I looked around a bit couldn't find it available anywhere.