Kentucky Coffeetree
Gymncladus dioicus
Fabaceae (Legume Family)
▲ mature tree
▲ leaves
▲ fruit
▲ bark (furrowed, with platey ridges with age)
Location on campus: along drive from National Avenue into Lot 24, at southeast corner of Glass Hall
Gymnocladus dioicus: Kentucky Coffeetree
· leaves alternate, deciduous, bipinnately compound; leaflets oval with entire margins and pointed tip; leaflets dark blue-green; pubescent underneath when young
· stems very thick, greenish when young, becoming waxy or velvety gray-brown; pith salmon pink
· bark is dark-brown and deeply furrowed with scaly ridges
· grows 60-75' tall in tall oval crown
· is dioecious; flowers fragrant but not showy; female tree has short fat pods with large, hard, shiny beans; beans once roasted as coffee substitute by early settlers (hence the name)
· prefers full sun, moist, well-drained, fertile soil, but fairly soil adaptable
· slow to fast growth rate, depending on soil fertility and moisture
· native to Missouri