Leaf: Alternate, doubly pinnately compound, with many leaflets; leaflets ovate, pointed at the tip, rounded at the base, up to 2-inches long and about half as broad, without teeth along the edge, dark green and smooth on the upper surface, yellow-green and smooth or hairy on the veins on the lower surface.
Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately on separate trees, in more or less elongated, greenish clusters, appearing after the leaves have unfolded; each flower with 5 oblong, hairy petals.
Fruit: Short, thick legumes up to 10 inches long and up to 2 inches wide, dark brown, leathery, smooth, containing several large seeds embedded in a thick, sweet pulp.
Twig: Stout, dark brown with orange lenticels, slightly hairy; leaf scars alternate, heart-shaped, with 3 or 5 bundle traces; pith chocolate-colored.
Bark: Dark gray, deeply furrowed and scaly at maturity.
Form: Medium to large tree to 85 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 2 1/2 feet; crown with a narrow, rounded top; trunk stout, usually branching a few feet above the ground.
Habitat: Rich, often bottomland, woods
Range: New York across to South Dakota, south to Oklahoma, east to Tennessee.
Location: In the backyard of a private owner at 619 S. Franklin St., Bunker Hill, IL.
The Kentucky Coffee Tree's wood can be used for fence posts, fuel, and rough construction. The seeds can be used as a substitute for coffee.
© Community Unit School District #8, Bunker Hill
504 E. Warren, Bunker Hill, IL 62014
References:
Little, Elbert L. Field Guide to Trees: Eastern Region. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf Inc., 1980.
Mohlenbrock, Robert H. Forest Trees of Illinois. Springfield, IL: 1992