﻿Trees of New York State 267 



LEGUMINOSAE 



Gymnocladus dioica (L.) K. Koch [Gymnocladus canadensis Lam.] 



Kentucky Coffee Tree 



Habit — A large tree, under favorable conditions sometimes attaining a height 

 of 100 feet with a trunk diameter of 2-4 feet, generally much smaller in 

 central and western New York. Trunk usually short, dividing ten or 

 fifteen feet above the ground into several stout, ascending limbs to form 

 a narrow, obovate crowTi. Under forest conditions the bole may be 

 columnar and free of branches for 70-80 feet. 



Leaves — Alternate, bipinnate, 1-3 feet long, l%-2 feet broad, with 7-13 

 pinnae and 1-2 basal pairs of lobed leaflets, borne on glabrous, terete, 

 purplish green leaf-stalks which are prominently enlarged at the base. 

 Pinnae consisting of 6-15 leaflets borne subopposite or alternate on the 

 secondary rachis. Leaflets ovate to oval, taper-pointed at the apex, 

 rounded and inequilateral at the base, entire, at maturity dark green and 

 lustrous above, paler beneath, short-stalked, 1-2 1/^ inches long, falling 

 separately in the autumn. 



Flowers- — ^ Appearing in June after the leaves, regular, gi-eenish white, 

 polygamous, borne in terminal racemes or panicles. Staminate inflores- 

 cence 3—4 inches long, the lower branches usually several-flowered. 

 Pistillate inflorescence 10-12 inches long, the flowers fewer and longer- 

 stalked than in the staminate clusters. Calyx about % of an inch long, 

 narrowly tubular, white-tomentose, lO-ribbed and 5-lobed, the lobes linear- 

 lanceolate. Petals oblong, slightly keeled and inrolled, nearly white, 

 tomentose on the inner surface, longer than the calj-x-lobes. Stamens 10, 

 included, inserted on the calyx-tube, with awl-shaped hairy filaments and 

 orange anthers. Pistil consisting of a hairy, linear-lanceolate sessile, 

 ovary, short style and oblique stigma. 



Fruit — A broad, flat, thick, somewhat glaucous, reddish brown, Avoody legume, 

 4-10 inches long, 1-2 inches broad, borne on a stout stalk 1-2 inches long, 

 persisting on the trees into the winter. Flesh thick, dark-colored, sweet. 

 Seeds ovate to oval, somewhat compressed, thick-walled, about % of an 

 inch long. 



Winter characters — Twigs verj- stout, blunt-pointed, dark brown or greenish 

 broA\"a and usually \Anth a pale evanescent skin, marked with orange- 

 colored lenticels and broad, heart-shaped leaf-scars. Pith large, salmon- 

 colored. Terminal bud absent. Lateral buds 2 or 3 at a node, small, 

 bronze, silky-pubescent, sunken in the t^vig so that they scarcely project 

 beyond its" surface, surrounded by a hairv', incurved ring of bark. 

 Accessor)' buds superposed, the upper the larger. Mature bark rather 

 thick, dark grayish bro-wai, divided by shalloAV fissures into shallow ridges 

 covered with reflexed scales. 



Habitat — In the Avild state a typical bottom-land species preferring deep, 

 rich, alluvial soils in company with Black Ash, Cottonwood, Honey Locust, 

 etc. Will thrive in drier situations if not overtopped by other species. 

 An intolerant tree. 



Range — Central New York westward to southern Minnesota and eastern 

 Nebraska, southwest through Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Oklahoma. 

 Zones A, B, and C. 



Uses — Of wide distribution but one of the rarest forest trees of eastern 

 United States. Wood rather soft, heavy, coarse-grained, light brown vnth 

 thin, paler sapwood. Occasionally used for fence posts, railroad ties, in 

 cabinet making and in general construction. Widely planted as an orna- 

 mental tree in parks, cemeteries, and gardens because of its striking 

 appearance, particularly during the winter months. The seeds were used 

 by early pioneers as a "substitute for coffee, hence the name, ' ' Kentucky 

 Coffee Tree." 



