Kentucky Coffeetree

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