I’m going to quote a bit from a Kentucky government website about the Kentucky coffee tree, but the whole article is rather interesting, explaining the debate over the years about which tree to make the official state tree for Kentucky. If you have time you may enjoy the entire article at http://www.kdla.ky.gov/resources/kytree.htm.
"The only tree that has a commonly accepted name which includes a state name, the Kentucky Coffee Tree is the one of the only two remaining species of Gymnocladus in existence. (The other is in China.) Gymnocladus means "naked branches," which the Coffee Tree has six months out of the year.
The Coffee Tree is a legume, a flowering plant that produces compound leaves and pods containing seeds that are edible. (Although Coffee Tree beans are poisonous to humans unless roasted thoroughly.) The plant produces green-white unisexual flowers that attract insects to provide cross pollination. The seed pods are 6 to 10 inches long and usually appear in late summer and sometimes last throughout the winter. The beans are packed in a green gooey substance in the pods, and are also protected by a hard, dark green-brown shell. The seed pods are only produced by female plants.
The Kentucky Coffee Tree is a medium to large tree, usually reaching a height of 75 to 100 feet and a diameter of 2 1/2 feet. The largest Coffee Tree on record is located in Morgan County, Kentucky**, at a height of 78 feet tall and over 17 1/2 feet in diameter. The trunk of the Coffee Tree is short and divides into two to four secondary branches which are almost parallel to each other. The bark is dark gray and has rough projecting fissures. Young growth is stout often coated with a crusty film and fine hairs. The Kentucky Coffee Tree usually lives to be about 100 years old.
Found mostly in the midwest, the Kentucky Coffee Tree prefers deep, rich bottomland alluvial soils. The largest specimens can be found mostly in moist hollows on limestone soil, but the plant is tolerant of various soil types."
And here is the official bill when it became our state tree in 1976:
(S.B. 150)
AN ACT relating to designation of the Kentucky coffeetree as the official tree of the Commonwealth.
WHEREAS, in the entire world of arboriculture only the Kentucky coffeetree bears the proud word Kentucky in its name; and
WHEREAS, the bean of the Kentucky coffeetree once was used as a substitute for coffee by the intrepid pioneers who carved the Commonwealth from the wildernes; and
WHEREAS, John Filson in his "History of Kentucky" did refer to the unique beauty and usefulness of the Kentucky coffeetree; and
WHEREAS, in 1783 General George Rogers Clark did send seeds of the Kentucky coffeetree to Thomas Jefferson and which seeds produces trees still gracing the grounds of Monticello; and
WHEREAS, the Kentucky coffeetree often is referred to as "Kentucky Mahogany" for the beauty of its wood;
WHEREAS, the Kentucky coffeetree, although once growing in multitudinous plenty, now is an endangered species;
NOW, THERE,
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky:
Section1. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 2 IS CREATED TO READ AS FOLLOWS: That the Kentucky coffeetree is named and designated as the Kentucky state tree.
Approved March 8, 1976
(This was changed in 1994 back to the Tulip Poplar or Tulip Tree)
From what I’ve heard from others, the coffee it makes is a rather poor substitute for true coffee lovers. Since I don’t drink coffee, perhaps I will enjoy the coffee-like drink we will be able to make from the seeds!
We are always happy to add potentially useful trees and plants to our homestead, and I think that the Kentucky coffee tree qualifies.
It is surely a unique tree because I’ve read that no animals eat or disperse the seeds. Some think that it may have been a favorite food for the mastodon before it became extinct, but since they died out, the Kentucky coffee tree has had a difficult time surviving.
I feel like we are giving a helping hand to a struggling tree species! Perhaps it will return the favor in a few years and give us an interesting beverage to try!
2 comments
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Rhen on April 13, 2007 at 8:49 am
That is so cool! I have several heirloom vegetables that are almost extinct. It feels good to plant, grow and continue something that isn't common.
All for His glory,
~Rhen
Purewater adds a hearty Amen!
Yes, all for His Glory
Edited by Purewater on Friday, April 13, 2007 at 10:26 AM
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Melanie on April 27, 2007 at 7:30 pm
Thanks for sharing about the Kentucky Coffee tree. I was curious if it actually had any beans that were edible. That is so neat that the pioneer type, ambitious ones of the past tried it out. I wonder if it would grow in Ohio. Probably would being we are only a state north. Very nice article, thanks for sharing it!
Melanie @ Jubileefarm
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