Showing posts with label Gymnocladus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gymnocladus. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Kentucky Coffee Tree

Gymnocladus dioica is one of the few trees in Indiana with bipinnately compound or "bipinnate" leaves. Is it the only one? I don't know. Also known as "Coffee Nut," it is uncommon in the northwest third of the state, sometimes being found in the alluvium along streams in woods. It also occurs in more upland mesic forest and even on dry fencerows.
The large bean pods stay attached to the tree through winter and drop in spring. An earlier post resulted in some very interesting thoughts from the inimitable Justin Thomas, legendary Ozark botanist.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Gymnocladus dioica - Kentucky Coffee Tree


Good call, Justin and Tom. It is Gymnocladus dioica, and almost certainly a cultivar (cultivated variety). The leaflets are smaller than the typical species. There is also a Gymnocladus chinensis used in landscaping, but it normally has many more pairs of leaflets and the leaflets are more narrow.

In northern Indiana, Kentucky Coffee Tree is occasional in rich mesic forests and bottomland forests along streams. It is not common here. The large, distinctive bean pods fall off in spring and are gathered by wildlife. They bear a rich, pleasant coffee-like smell. It would be interesting to know how they were used by Native Americans and European settlers. Folklore mentions a coffee-like drink, and I'm confident there were other uses. The seeds are extremely hard and spend several years in the soil before germination. However, if scarified they sprout readily.

The lumber has fantastically beautiful grain similar to White Ash, and is used in cabinetmaking. Lumbermen and cabinetmakers call it "Coffee Nut."

During drought, the leaflets turn their edges toward the sun. This may be the only tree in Indiana with bipinnate leaves.