Kentucky Coffeetree
Gymnocladus dioicus
A tough native shade tree with huge, airy compound leaves that turn yellow in fall, and a bold outline that stands out in winter. It's a dependable city tree, tolerant of drought, pollution and occasional flooding. Choose a male cultivar: female trees drop big pods, and the seeds, pods and leaves are poisonous.
- Mature size
- 70 × 48 ft
- 21.5 × 14.5 m, tall × wide
- Hardiness
- Zones 3a–8b
- USDA
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Dry to moist
- Blooms
- May–Jun
Kentucky Coffeetree at its mature size
A mature Kentucky Coffeetree grows 60 to 80 feet tall and 40 to 55 feet wide, taller than most people.
Drawn to scale beside a 5 ft 9 in person. With VeraScape, you see it at this size in your own yard.
Typical mature size, unpruned. Sources: NC State Extension.
Through the year
What Kentucky Coffeetree looks like month by month in a typical zone 6–7 garden.
Dormant · Nov–Apr
Bare: few very stout coarse branches, scaly ridged bark; leafs out late, drops early.
In leaf · May–Sep
Large bluish-green compound leaves, open crown.
Fall · Oct
Dull yellow, brief and muted.
Photos
Growing Kentucky Coffeetree
- Grows well in
- The Northeast, the Midwest, and the Plains and Mountain West.
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Good for
- Specimen, drought tolerant, rain garden, pollinators, and winter interest
- Leaves
- Drops its leaves in winter
- Native to
- Eastern North America and Central North America
Spacing
VeraScape spaces plants so their grown canopies just touch. For Kentucky Coffeetree, that’s about 48 ft apart, center to center.
Place a row in your own yard and VeraScape spaces them at their mature width, so you can see whether they’ll crowd the walk.
See Kentucky Coffeetree in your yard before you dig
Visualize it at its true size, alongside the rest of your design.