Kentucky Coffeetree

Gymnocladus dioicus

Great Urban Tree
Often used in Golf Course, Parks or as Street Trees
Large Seed Pods
Drought and pollution tolerate
Grows 60' to 70' with a 45' Spread
Zones 3 to 8

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Zones 3 - 8

Hardiness Zones: Zones 3 - 8
The Kentucky Coffeetree can be expected to grow in the zones shown in color in the arborday.org zone map.VIEW MAP

ornamental tree

Type of tree:
The Kentucky Coffeetree falls into the following type(s): Ornamental Trees, Shade Trees

60' - 75' High

Mature Height:
The Kentucky Coffeetree grows to be 60' - 75' feet in height.

40' - 50' Spread

Mature Spread:
The Kentucky Coffeetree has a spread of about 40' - 50' at full maturity.

Slow to Medium Growth

Growth Rate:
This tree grows at a slow to medium growth rate. [More about this.]

Full Sun

Sun:
This coffeetree does well in full sun.

Various Soils

Soil:
The Kentucky Coffeetree grows in acidic, alkaline, drought tolerant, loamy, moist, rich, sandy, well drained, wet, wide range, clay soils.

Oval Shape

Shape:
This coffeetree has oval, rounded shape.

More Info

Attributes:
Resistant to disease and able to adapt to a wide variety of soils and climates, the Kentucky Coffeetree is an excellent choice for parks and golf courses. It is also widely used as an ornamental and street tree.

Wildlife Value:
Sources disagree on which parts of the seed pods are edible. Although the seeds have been roasted to make a type of coffee, one source says the raw seeds are poisonous. The seed pulp is reportedly toxic to cattle, but it has been used in home remedies.

History/Lore/Use:
The Kentucky Coffeetree is native to the central states of America from Pennsylvania to Nebraska and from Minnesota to Oklahoma. This tree gets its name because early Kentucky settlers noticed the resemblance of its seeds to coffee beans. Timber from this tree tends to be brittle, but can be used for fence posts. In earlier times, its wood was used in the construction of railway sleeper cars.

Moisture:
It tolerates some wet soil, yet has extreme drought tolerance.

Leaves:
This tree has bipinnately compound, 2 to 3 inches long leaflets, light green in summer and yellow in autumn.

Flower Color:
Purplish flowers of the female tree have a rose-like fragrance. These mature into large, brownish seed pods containing large 3/4-inch bean-like seeds. Pods remain on the tree throughout the winter. Raw seeds are toxic to humans.

Bloom Time:
April-May..

Fruit Description:
This tree produces a pod, 5 to 10 inches long, dry, hard, green turning to brown.

Picturesque in summer and winter, coarse ascending branches often form a narrow crown. Oval leaflets emerge late in spring, changing from pinkish-tinged to a dark, almost blue-green. Tolerates most conditions, drought and pollution. Needs full sun. Grows to 60'-75' with a 45' spread. (Zones 3-8)

		Spring Shipping		Fall Shipping
Color	Zone	Approximate Ship Dates	Order Deadline	Approximate Ship Dates	Order Deadline
	2	04/15–05/30	05/14	11/01–11/26	11/12
	3	04/15–05/30	05/14	11/01–11/26	11/12
	4	04/15–05/30	05/14	11/01–11/26	11/12
	5	04/15–05/30	05/14	11/01–11/26	11/12
	6	03/19–05/12	05/07	11/01–12/03	11/19
	7	03/11–05/07	04/30	11/05–12/10	11/26
	8	02/26–04/30	04/23	11/05–12/10	11/26
	9	02/26–04/30	04/23	11/05–12/10	11/26
	10	02/26–04/30	04/23	11/05–12/10	11/26

We're sorry, but this tree can't be shipped to AK, AZ, HI , territories, or countries outside the U.S. This is due to the agricultural laws within these locations.

When you order trees from The Arbor Day Foundation, your order is guaranteed to arrive in a good, healthy condition or we'll replace them at no charge. Your trees will be shipped at a suitable time for planting.

Each tree is guaranteed to grow, or we'll replace it at one half the original price, plus shipping and handling.

The benefits of bare-root trees

Our trees are delivered with natural bare roots which have been dipped in hydrating gel prior to shipment to keep the roots moist and healthy. As their abundant, fibrous roots aren't confined by a container, bare-root trees get off to a more vigorous start compared to containerized roots which typically need more time to adjust to transplanting. Bare-root trees typically surpass the size of larger containerized trees in only a few years.

	Standard		Dwarf
	Mature Height	Space Needed	Mature Height	Space Needed
Apple	20' - 25'	35' x 35'	10' **	10' x 10' ++
Peach	20'	20' x 20'	8' - 10'	10' x 10'
Sweet Cherry	30'	20' x 25'	12' - 15'	10' x 10'
Sour Cherry	20'	20' x 20'	8'	10' x 10'
Pear	20'	20' x 20'	12' - 15'	12' x 12'
Apricot	20'	20' x 20'
Plum	20'	20' x 20'	8' - 10'	10' x 10'
			** semi-dwarf 12' - 15' ++ semi-dwarf 12' x 12'

Natural Root and Containerized Trees

Natural root (also called bare root) trees are shipped without soil around their roots. They are shipped when dormant in the spring and fall seasons. We dip the roots in a hydrating gel to keep them moist during shipping.

There are a number of advantages to natural root trees:

They are very affordable.
Their roots re-establish themselves well once they are planted in their permanent location.
They are easy to plant at the correct depth.

The Urban Horticulture Institute at Cornell University has an interesting article about the benefits of planting natural root trees. Look for the PDF entitled Creating the Urban Forest: The Bare Root Method

Potted (also called containerized) trees come in 4" containers.

If you have questions, please call (888) 448-7337 or E-mail Member Services.

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