American Yellowwood
American Yellowwood
Botanical Name: Cladrastis kentukeaFamily Name: Fabaceae - Legumes familyOrigin: Southeastern United States
If you’re standing on the front porch, in front of you mid-way down the right-side of the front yard, you will find two American Yellowwood trees. The American Yellowwood is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree that typically grows 33 to 49 feet tall with a broad, rounded crown, and smooth gray bark. Natively, the American Yellowwood is one of the rarest trees in eastern North America, however, it is widely planted as an ornamental tree for its attractive flowers. It can withstand urban settings and is attractive to birds.
The yellowwood leaves are compound pinnate, 8 to 11 inches long with 7 to 9 alternately arranged leaflets. Each leaflet is a broad ovate with an acute apex. In the fall, the leaves turn a mix of yellow, gold, and orange.
The yellowwood flowers are fragrant, white in a Wisteria-like stalk. Flowering is typically in early summer, but it can vary from year to year, with heavy flowering every second or third year. The fruit is a pod 2 to 3 inches long containing 2 to 6 seeds.
The name yellowwood derives from its yellow-colored heartwood. It has been used in small amounts in specialist furniture, gunstocks, and decorative wood turning.