Handbook of Trees of the Northern States and Canada. 28Y 



The CofTectree, or as it is commonly called 

 the Kentucky t'dH'cc-ticc, sometimes attains 

 the height of 100 ft. and in tlic forests with 

 straight colinmiar trunk 2-4 ft. in thickness 

 covered with a grayisli bark, rough with 

 firm prominent scales. In the open it de- 

 velops a rather wide ohovoid top. conspicuous 

 in summer on accoinit of its graceful airy 

 foliage and perhaps intersper.sed with its great 

 brown pods. On the approach of winter its 

 manner of shedding its large bicompound 

 leaves suggested to tiie common mind the er- 

 roneous idea that it is shedding also its twigs 

 and its appearance then, when leafless, has 

 given rise to the name Shtnip-trcc. It is con- 

 fined in its distribution to low rich bottom- 

 lands in company with the I^lack Walnut, 

 Buckeye, Ked-bud, Hackberry, Slippery Elm, 

 Honey Locust, Oaks and Hickories, but is no- 

 where abundant. Its common name. CofTee- 

 tree. is given to it because its seeds in eirly 

 days were used to some extent as a substitute 

 for coffee. 



The wood, of which a cu. ft. when abso- 

 lutely dry weighs 4.3.21 lbs., is heavy, strong 

 and viTy durable, aiul is useful for posts, rail- 

 way ties, furniture, etc- 



Lrnrcfi larcjo. 2-:^>-ft. long, with strong petioles 

 and 1()-1S pinn;p each bearing 10-14 ovate mem- 

 braneous neai-Iy glabrous leaflets. Flnirrrs stami- 

 nate flower -eliistevs :V() in. long; the pistillate 

 10-112 in. Ion',' with lonser pedicels. Fruit pods 

 mostly 4-10 in. lon-i. lV?-2 in. broad, remaining 

 closed on the brnnchlets late into the winter with 

 sweet pulp and seeds % in. across.^ 



1. Syn. Gunnioflnihis- Caiiadcsix Lam. 



