Extension Forestry

Kentucky Coffeetree - Gymnocladus dioicus

Kentucky Coffee Tree Leaves are alternate compound with more than 11 leaflets.

The Kentucky coffeetree is a medium to large-sized tree with coarse, heavy, upright branching which gives the tree a naked appearance during the winter months.  Found growing over the east central United States to eastern Nebraska and Kansas, it grows quite widely over Iowa as scattered individual trees or small groups of trees, in mixture with other species.  It prefers rich bottomlands, but often is found on drier locations.

The leaves are double compound, with an almost branch like central stem and are large, 1 to 3 feet long containing 40 or more leaflets.  The leaflets are 1 to 3 inches long, dark green above and a yellow-green beneath, sharp pointed at the apex and with margins wavy or almost smooth.

The twigs are very thick, stocky, blunt and marked by unusually large leaf scars and with a large pink pith.  On the trunk and branches the bark is rough and gray, breaking into very characteristic flat ridges or plates with upturned edges.

twig

The fruit is a large, broad, stubby, very hard or horny dark brown pod, containing large, brown flinty, round, somewhat flattened beans, from which the tree gets its name.

[Tree Identification Homepage] - [ISUForestry Extension] - [ISU Extension]

Contact: Paul Wray

Last Update: January, 2001