Kentucky Coffeetree

Gymnocladus dioicus

Family

Fabaceae

Genus

Gymnocladus

About Our Collection

Fun Facts

  • Among the three sibling specimens received by Sargent, this tree is the lone survivor. In 1985, it suffered major crown damage during Hurricane Gloria, but persisted. Accession 324*A was uprooted by Hurricane Carol (1954), and accession 324*C met its fate during the devastating hurricane of 1938.

  • Despite its wide native range through the Midwest and upper South, Kentucky coffeetree is among the rarest forest trees in the United States, preferring to grow among sheltered bottom lands with rich soils. Today, it is a common sight among university campuses, public parks, and botanical gardens.

  • The common name of this tree is derived from the attempts by early settlers in Kentucky and Tennessee to use the beans as a coffee substitute. This largely unsuccessful endeavor was abandoned as soon as coffee became readily available in the region.

  • The large seeds of Kentucky coffeetree were once consumed and spread by the large plant-eating mammals that have since gone extinct in North America. Without the means for adequate seed dispersal, these trees have persisted through their ability to reproduce asexually by sprouting from their roots.

Stats

Living Specimens
Specimens Dead or Removed
First Addition
Most Recent Addition
Tallest Specimen

35 Living Specimens

Plant ID Accession Date Received As Origin Source