Gymnocladus dioica - Kentucky coffee tree

The Kentucky coffee tree is a deciduous tree with large, bipinnate leaves. The seeds were historically used as a coffee substitute. The tree is also used ornamentally and in restoration projects. Although it is a member of the pea family, it does not fix nitrogen — it lacks the root-nodule rhizobia bacteria that most other legumes host.¹²

Inputs

• Hardiness zone 3³
• Hardiness zone 4³
• Hardiness zone 5³
• Hardiness zone 6³
• Hardiness zone 7³
• Hardiness zone 8³

Outputs

• Human food³

Type

• Tree
• Deciduous

Footnotes

1. Kentucky Coffeetree | University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension ↩

2. Kentucky Coffeetree | Illinois Department of Natural Resources ↩

3. Gymnocladus dioica | Plants for a Future ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷