North Carolina Wildflowers, Shrubs, and Trees

by Jeffrey S. Pippen | Back to Jeff's Plant Page | Jeff's Nature Pages

Fabaceae > Gymnocladus (Kentucky Coffeetree)

Gymnocladus dioica (Kentucky Coffeetree) Gymnocladus dioica (Kentucky Coffeetree)
Duke Gardens, Durham Co., NC
1 July 2010

Not quite native to North Carolina, this tree is widely, though sparingly planted in the Eastern US. Its original native range has been obscured by plantings but is thought to be roughly midwestern US south to VA, TN, AL, and OK.

Gymnocladus dioica (Kentucky Coffeetree) Gymnocladus dioica (Kentucky Coffeetree)
Duke Gardens, Durham Co., NC
1 July 2010

Leaves are bipinnately (2x) compound, hence every leaflet in rough focus in the photo belongs to a single leaf.

Gymnocladus dioica (Kentucky Coffeetree) Gymnocladus dioica (Kentucky Coffeetree)
Duke Gardens, Durham Co., NC
1 July 2010

Bark of young tree is strongly ornamented with corky ridges.

Annotated habitat and distribution information listed above is from Radford, Ahles, & Bell. 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. UNC Press; and from personal observations and discussions with Will Cook, Harry LeGrand, and Bob Wilbur. Common names from personal experience and supplemented by the following resources USDA plants website, Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia, and NatureServe.

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Created on ... July 24, 2010 | jeffpippen9@gmail.com