Part 29

KENTUCKY COFFEE TREE Gymnocladus dioicus (L.) K. Koch

Growth Form: Medium to large tree to 85 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 2½ feet; crown with a narrow, rounded top; trunk stout, usually branching a few feet above the ground.

Bark: Dark gray, deeply furrowed and scaly at maturity.

Twigs: Stout, dark brown with orange lenticels, slightly hairy; leaf scars alternate, heart-shaped, with 3 or 5 bundle traces; pith chocolate-colored.

Buds: Tiny, sunken in hairy cavities immediately above each leaf scar.

Leaves: 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.

Wood: Heavy, strong, durable, coarse-grained, reddish-brown.

Uses: Fence posts, fuel, rough construction. The seeds can be used as a substitute for coffee.

Habitat: Rich, often bottomland, woods.

Range: New York across to South Dakota, south to Oklahoma, east to Tennessee.

Distinguishing Features: The doubly compound leaves with large leaflets, the short, thick legumes, and the thick twigs with sunken buds readily distinguish this tree. It is one of the last trees to put forth its leaves in the spring.

SILVER BELL Halesia carolina L.

Growth Form: Small tree to 30 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 8 inches; crown widely spreading.

Bark: Reddish-brown, with whitish stripes, somewhat scaly.

Twigs: Slender, reddish-brown, usually smooth; leaf scars alternate, half-round, with a cluster of bundle scars.

Buds: Ovoid, pointed, reddish-brown, somewhat hairy, up to ⅛ inch long.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades oval to elliptic, pointed at the tip, tapering to rounded at the base, up to 6 inches long, about half as broad, finely toothed along the edges, dark green and usually smooth on the upper surface, paler and smooth or slightly hairy on the lower surface; leafstalks slender, smooth or finely hairy, up to ½ inch long.

Flowers: Few in hanging clusters, showy, white, each bell-shaped and up to one inch long, appearing in April.

Fruit: 4-winged, dry, brown, up to 2 inches long, containing 1 seed.

Wood: Light in weight, soft, close-grained, brown.

Use: Occasionally grown as an ornamental.

Habitat: Rich woods.

Range: Virginia across southern Illinois to Oklahoma, south to Texas, east to Florida.

Distinguishing Features: The bell-shaped white flowers and the 4-winged fruits readily distinguish this handsome tree.

WITCH HAZEL Hamamelis virginiana L.

Growth Form: Small tree to 25 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 10 inches; crown broadly rounded.