Kentucky Coffee Tree

RBoots · Jul 4, 2016

Anybody have one or heard of one? Are they a quality tree? A buddy that does tree work said he saw a huge one at the Henry Ford Museum, and had never heard of one. Neither have I. A quick Google search shows that they are classified as a "rare" tree, and are predominantly southern trees, but do and will grow here in the north, as evidenced by the one in Dearborn. It says they do well in moist areas. Well have I got the perfect habitat for them!! I'm tired of having willow and ash only in my lowland. If they were a good tree, I'd rather plant some of them there, especially if they'd make decent firewood, not that ash doesn't. The willow just spreads and spreads every year. Anyone have any first hand knowledge of the quality of this tree?

CLYDE MASON · Jul 4, 2016

yes very common in indiana. we have several on our 60 acres.

the wood is very nice red color with a good grain.
has a friend who had a roon done in coffee tree.

didn't the early people use the coffee seed for sub for coffee?

CLYDE MASON · Jul 4, 2016

if you plant the seed it is best to put in a vice and crack the hard outer skin.

Jim in rush co · Jul 4, 2016

I've always called them coffee bean tree. Early settlers made coffee with them. I have them here in south east Indiana.

D beatty · Jul 4, 2016

I have 4 of them in my yard and I live in northern Indiana ( La Porte County) about 13 miles from Michigan line. They make good shade trees and don't have any insect problems. They are not as fast of a growing tree like a honey locus but with stand wind and ice. Mine are growing on a sandy soil and with stand dry weather conditions. I have burned some of the wood and would say its anything to brag about. I have got any pictures of one leaved out but the two trees ( not leaved) to the right of yellow leaved tree are Kentucky Coffee trees.

Greg1959 · Jul 4, 2016

D beatty · Jul 4, 2016

The pod and bean are toxic if not roasted.

Gordy in MN · Jul 4, 2016

They are planted a lot here in Minnesota because of the ash bore. We planted one in our back yard last year and we love it. Slow growing but it is supposed to be a very hardy tree. Branches grow every which way so that makes them unique. Gordy in Mn

Deere Mark · Jul 4, 2016

Some really large ( 4 feet diameter, 100 feet tall) examples here in SE PA. Not sure that it is really native to this area. I grew some from seed in 1970 and did have to saw through the outer seed coat in order to get them to germinate.

Jim in rush co · Jul 4, 2016

I've ever tried it but have heard the bean needs to be roasted. Might have to it try sometime. I would like to have some sawn into lumber, they say it is nice.

Delawaresurfman · Jul 4, 2016

It has about the same btu value as cherry slightly less. Not as good as oak or ash. I'd not classify them as rare but not growing in stands like normal timber here in Delaware.

01gentdc · Jul 4, 2016

planted 10 in the mix of species on 2 acres of crp ground 2 yrs ago

mtf · Jul 4, 2016

Boots, I have some coffee trees at the nursery. They are not much to look at until they are 8-10 years old. They are used more in commercial plantings. The seed pods are kind of a mess. They are able to grow in areas where air pollution is very bad. How about a yellowood tree. Nathan

RBoots · Jul 4, 2016

Those do have some funky branches, like you said, all directions!

RBoots · Jul 4, 2016

That's sort of what I was thinking, a mix, except not CRP, just trying to get something interesting growing in my woods after Ash borer. In our woods across the road, there is a couple Sycamore, those aren't terribly common around me either. They must not grow real fast as dad (65) said it seemed like it was the same size when he was 5-6 years old. It is a big tree though.

RBoots · Jul 4, 2016

See, that's what I like, real information. The one site I looked at said they were a fast growing tree, that's why I like to ask here, you get various opinions and experience.

RBoots · Jul 4, 2016

The one my friend saw he said was probably about 4' diameter and 120' tall, and no limbs for 60', so they must be a nice straight tree. I hate crooked trunked trees, they just don't look right.

RBoots · Jul 4, 2016

Had to Google Yellowwood lol. That is a very interesting tree, wonder if it would grow in MI, the zones show Indiana, but not MI. I like to have nice trees in my yard, odd ones as well. Unfortunately this will not be my lifelong home, but I hope to have found it in under 5 years, where I can start one heck of a nice variety. I just hope whoever buys this place when I sell it will enjoy the trees I have already planted

Ross

RBoots · Jul 4, 2016

I'm not a coffee drinker much, so I wouldn't be able to tell you if it was ok or not. Unless it is particularly terrible, it's all OK to me lol

Hay hay hay · Jul 4, 2016

The KY coffee tree would be far down my list. Leafs late, drops leaves early, no color, trashy seeds, messy.

Lots of good species of maple and oak can handle wet feet and cold weather. I'd look for others, and certainly have,
even though the tree is native to my area. Not one of my favorites.

CGID · Jul 4, 2016

They are common in the woods of the loess hills in Western Iowa. Several of them were planted in city parks in Boise where they grow well. The parks are adjacent to the Boise River so the trees are well watered in spite of the desert climate here. They are great shade trees and their limbs, kinked every-which-way, are unusual. There will be an abundant, annual crop of thick, four inch long bean-pods. The leaves grow as huge twice-branched fronds, one to three feet long. The green leaflets decompose quickly but the long stems they grow from can be a mess in the yard. The bark on mature trees is striking, made up of large, deeply furrowed ridges. Even in the woods they grow wide and they spread very wide in the open. Allow at least 30 feet for comfortable space around buildings.

Jim in rush co · Jul 4, 2016

It might be like the Sassafras tea, it might not take much to do you. I drank a lot of it one time and got to feeling weird.

Fullers Farmalls · Jul 5, 2016

Had one on the college campus. Beautiful tree. Big seeds. They are similar to the honey locust. They are rare because they were spread by the mammoths and other large land animals(megafauna) in North America. Now nothing is big enough to eat thus disperse the seeds so humans and water are the only way they spread.

01gentdc · Jul 5, 2016

dopnt know your location,,. you can get all species of trees at starve hollow tree nursery ,, Livonia ind,, they will ship too ,

D beatty · Jul 6, 2016

They will grow in cold zones and not all Kentucky Coffee trees have seeds. I have 4 of them in my yard and 2 of them have seeds and 2 don't. You don't have to rake leaves of those trees and the stems from leaves can be sucked up by lawn mower ground up and put right back on lawn.

Kentucky Coffee Tree

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