Kentucky coffeetree

Leaves

Form

• Deciduous, alternate
• Doubly pinnately compound
• Composed of about 70 leaflets
• On 3–7 pairs of branches from a central stalk
• Central stalk easily mistaken for a stem
• Leaflets ovate
• Short-stalked
• Seldom opposite each other
• No terminal leaflet
• Tree is leafless more than half the year

Length

• Leaflets about 5 cm
• Leaf and central stalk 30–90 cm

Colour

• Bluish-green

Margin

• Smooth

Buds

Form

• Terminal bud absent
• Twig tip tapered to a blunt point
• Lateral buds small, blunt, with several scales, covered with dark silky hairs
• 2 or 3 in a group above the leaf scar
• Upper bud largest
• Leaf scars large, inversely heart-shaped, with many vein scars

Length

• 6–9 mm

Twigs

Form

• Very stout
• Widely spaced
• Pith large

Colour

• Twigs greyish-brown
• Pith deep orange-red

Flowers

Form

• In large, open, many-branched terminal clusters (panicles)

Colour

• Greenish-white

Structure

• Dioecious
• Insect-pollinated

Floral timing

• Spring with the leaves

Fruits

Form

• Husk hard, leathery
• Usually with a powdered appearance
• Hanging on a stout stalk
• Remaining on the tree through the winter

Length

• Pod 12–20 cm
• Stalk 2–3 cm

Colour

• Husk dark reddish-brown

Structure

• Legume

Seeds

Form

• Large, rounded
• Slightly flattened, hard-shelled
• Few in each pod, imbedded in a sweet, sticky pulp

Length

• About 2 cm

Colour

• Dark brown

Bark

Form

• Hard, firm, with thin scaly ridges curling outward along their edges

Colour

• Dark grey

Wood

Texture

• Moderately heavy, hard
• Decay-resistant

Colour

• Reddish-brown

Morphology

• Ring-porous
• Rays scarcely visible

Size

Height

• To 25 m

Diameter

• To 60 cm

Maximum age

• 75 years

Tree form

Forest-grown

Crown

• Principal branches ascending
• Crown narrow

Habitat

Site

• Mainly on deep rich soils

Associated species

• Other broadleaf trees

Range

Rare in Canada; southwestern Ontario

COSEWIC Status

Threatened