Gymnocladus dioicus
Gymnocladus dioicus
Bean family (Fabaceae)
Deathly pale coffee
When in winter the pale grey to bluish branches are clearly visible, it is immediately clear how this tree got its ominous name Dutch name, the ‘dead bone tree’. In the summer, its woody ‘skeleton’ becomes covered by large, green, compound pinnate leaves, which can reach a diameter of 1 m and turn yellow in autumn.
The Kentucky coffee tree is native to riparian habitats in the interior of the United States. Clusters of leguminous pods grow from the large white flower panicles. Within these pods the seeds mature and were used by local tribes in their rituals. They were roasted, ground and then drunk as a kind of coffee. European settlers adopted this practice and hence the tree’s English vernacular name, the Kentucky coffee tree. Settlers found this ‘coffee’ tasted most inferior.
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Crown jewel in the Botanical Garden Arboretum Oudenbosch.
Rare, ornamental tree often planted along streets.
Fresh seeds are poisonous, they contain a toxic alkaloid, systicine and animals are more sensitive to it than humans. Slow cooking at 150 oC for 3 hours or roasting minimizes the toxicity.
North American indians throw large quantities of fresh seeds into the river to anaesthetize, or kill, fish.
The roasted, lightly toxic, beans can be ground and used as a cheap decaffinated coffee substitute, or eaten raw or cooked in moderation; the pulp is sweet and has a caramel-like flavour.
Ground bark is used as an effective enema. Tea made from the bark is diuretic, is used for coughs and helps to speed up protracted labour. The leaves are used for the production of fly poison.
Details
Description: | Tree, up to 25m; dioecious with a knuckle-shaped base and brownish-grey branches reminiscent of a skeleton with its deathly colour. |
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Distributions: | Eastern north america |
Habitat: | In humid, often limestone soils in 'bottom land' forests or rocky open wooded hills with other hardwood trees and water courses |
Year cycle: | Perennial (polycarpic decidous) |
Hardiness: | -4 - 5 f (hardy - very cold winter) |
Flowering period: | Mei - juni |
Flower color: | Green, white |
Notes on flowers: | Greenish-white flowers |
Fruiting period: | Oktober |
Fruit color: | Other |
Notes on fruits: | Light green pod with a white to black glaucous bloom; dark brown seed |
At its best: | Mei |
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_coffeetree,http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a872,
http://www.monumentaltrees.com/nl/nld/gelderland/wageningen/1131_belmontearboretum/3270/,
Dendrologie van de lage landen - Jan de Koning en Wim van den Broek, Loofbomen in Nederland en Vlaanderen - Leo Goudzwaard, Americans Culture to the Kentucky Coffee Tree (Gymnocladus dioicus). University of Wisconsin Stevens Point.,
www.pfaf.org