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This very rough, coarsely branched tree grows to a height of 40-60 feet with a trunk diameter of 3 feet. The bark is very rough, very light or dark brown, with thin scales. The dull deep green leaves are doubly compound, with about 9 broad oval-shaped leaflets that are pointed and toothless. They are alternate and there is a pair of single leaflets on the base of the main stalk. There are male and female trees, which produce their flowers in white, nodding clusters, and bloom in May to June. The fruit is a broad, leathery, dark brown pod, 4-9 inches long, pulpy inside with several seeds, and stay on in the winter. The Kentucky Coffee Tree is found from New York to Tennessee and west to Kansas. The seeds used to be used as a substitute for coffee and were called coffee-nuts.
Information about this plant from the USDA Plants Database.
Information from the TreeGuide from Athenic Systems.
This page was last updated 11 Jun 2003.