Coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus), commonly called Kentucky coffeetree, is a tall deciduous tree with rough, scaly gray-brown bark and large compound leaves. It is native to the Midwest. It grows 60-80’ tall. It typically occurs in low or rich woods, bluff bases and along streams.
 
Large compound leaves to 3’ long are made up of individual leaflets that are blue-green in summer; fall color is yellow. Larger trees typically cast light shade.
 
Coffeetree has male and female trees, each of which has greenish white flowers in late spring. Male flowers appear in clusters to 4” long, fragrant female flowers in panicles to 12” long. Fertilized female flowers give way to flattened reddish brown pods (to 10”long) which ripen in fall and persist well into winter. The roasted seeds were once used as a coffee substitute; raw seeds, however, are toxic. Male trees are generally considered more desirable because of the lack of seedpods. However, mature female trees with hanging seedpods can be very attractive in outline against a winter sky.
 
Trees are late to leaf out in spring and are one of the first to drop leaves in the fall. This species is planted as an ornamental for the very large leaves and for the stout twigs, which are bare except in summer. Good landscape tree for large lawns and parks!