Cladrastis kentukea is a striking tree with long panicles of fragrant white flowers in June. American Yellowwood has bright green foliage that contrasts nicely with darker leaved trees and turns golden-yellow in autumn. It's an excellent small shade tree for smaller properties, as a single specimen or in groupings.
Alternate common name: Yellowwood
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F E A T U R E S |
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Form
-medium to large ornamental/shade, deciduous tree
-maturing at 40-50' tall x 20-50' wide
-rounded vase, symmetrical form
-often multi-trunked
-medium to slow growth rate (less than 12" per year) |
Foliage
-odd-pinnately compound
-2-4" long x half as wide
-usually 7-9 leaflets, each elliptic to ovate
-bright green, terminal leaflet largest
-petiole enlarged at base and enclosing bud
-foliage often turns copper to yellow in autumn |
Flowers
-small (each about 1")
-in pendulous clusters
-fragrant, white
-flowers bloom in late spring
-highly ornamental |
Fruit
-pods (legume)
-3-5" long
-turn brown in autumn
-held late in the tree, giving winter effect |
Twig
-green becoming brown, smooth, lustrous, many small lenticels |
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Trunk
-smooth, gray to brown (like Beech)
-freshly cut wood is bright yellow (dye was used in the past)
-branches initiate low to the ground |
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C U L T
U R E
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Culture
-full sun (best) to partial shade
-prefers moist, organic soils that drain well, but is adaptable to poor soils, dry soils, and soils of various pH; does not tolerate wet soils
-may be somewhat difficult to transplant
-prune only in summer; winter or spring pruning results in profuse bleeding; proper pruning to avoid weak crotch angles is necessary; unpruned trees tend to fall apart in 30-40 yrs.
-Pea Family with some susceptibility to Verticillium wilt and canker, but generally resistant to pests |
Hardiness
-zones 4 to 8
Origin
-native to Eastern U.S. in the Southern Appalachian Mountains where it grows in dry limestone outcroppings and stream banks
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U S A G E |
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Assets
-fragrant flowers
-attractive floral display
-adapted to alkaline soils
Liabilities
-flowers attract bees
-susceptible to limb breakage (brittle wood and weak crotches) |
Function
-accent or street tree, buffer strip, shade tree, reclamation
-use in lawn, park, golf course, residential
Texture
-medium texture in foliage and when bare
-moderate density in foliage and when bare |
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S E L
E C T I 0 N S |
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Varieties
and Cultivars
- Search
OSU PlantFacts for additional plants in this species
Alternates
-trees with showy or fragrant late spring inflorescences (e.g., Cercis canadensis 'Alba' [var. alba], Robinia pseudoacacia, etc.) |