LEGUMINOSAE

Coffeetree. Kentucky Coffeetree

Gymnocladus dioica (L.) Koch [Gymnocladus canadensis Lam.]

HABIT.—A slender tree 50-75 feet high, with a trunk diameter of 2-3 feet; divides near the ground into several stems which spread slightly to form a narrow, pyramidal crown; branchlets stout, clumsy, blunt, with conspicuous leaf-scars.

LEAVES.—Alternate, bipinnately compound, 1-3 feet long. Leaflets 40 or more, 2-2-1/2 inches long and one-half as broad; short-stalked; ovate, acute; entire; thin and firm; dark green above, pale yellow-green and glabrous beneath. Petioles stout, terete, glabrous. Appear late in spring.

FLOWERS.—June, after the leaves; dioecious; greenish white; the staminate short-stalked, in racemose corymbs 3-4 inches long; the pistillate long-stalked, in racemes 10-12 inches long; calyx tubular, hairy; petals 5, keeled, nearly white; stamens 10; ovary hairy.

FRUIT.—Ripens in autumn, but remains closed until late in winter; short-stalked, red-brown legumes 6-10 inches long, 1-1/2-2 inches wide, containing 6-9 large, flat seeds.

WINTER-BUDS.—Terminal bud absent; lateral buds minute, depressed, 2 in the axil of each leaf, bronze-brown, silky-pubescent.

BARK.—Twigs coated with short, dense, reddish pubescence, becoming light brown; thick, deeply fissured and scaly on the trunk, dark gray.

WOOD.—Heavy, somewhat soft, strong, coarse-grained, very durable in contact with the soil, light red-brown, with thin, lighter colored sapwood.

DISTRIBUTION.—Southern Michigan as far north as the Grand River. Infrequent.

HABITAT.—Prefers bottom-lands and rich soil.

NOTES.—The seeds in early days were used as a substitute for coffee.

LEGUMINOSAE

Honey Locust. Three-thorned Acacia

Gleditsia triacanthos L.

HABIT.—A tree usually 50-75 feet high, with a trunk diameter of 2-3 feet; dividing near the ground into several large, upright branches which divide again into long, slender, horizontal branchlets; both trunk and large branches armed with stout, rigid, simple or branched spines.

LEAVES.—Alternate, pinnately or bipinnately compound, 7-12 inches long. Leaflets 18 or more, 3/4-1-1/2 inches long, one-third as broad; lanceolate-oblong; remotely crenulate-serrate; thin; lustrous, dark green above, dull yellow-green beneath. Petioles and rachises pubescent.

FLOWERS.—May-June, when the leaves are nearly full grown; polygamo-dioecious; the staminate in short, many-flowered, pubescent racemes; the pistillate in slender, few-flowered racemes; on shoots of the preceding season; calyx campanulate, hairy 3-5-lobed; petals 3-5, greenish; stamens 3-10; ovary 1-celled, woolly.

FRUIT.—Autumn, falling in early winter; flat, pendent, twisted, brown legumes, 12-18 inches long, short-stalked in short racemes; seeds 12-14, oval, flattened.

WINTER-BUDS.—Terminal bud absent; lateral buds minute, 3 or more superposed, glabrous, brownish.

BARK.—Twigs lustrous, red-brown, becoming gray-brown; thick on the trunk, iron-gray to blackish and deeply fissured into long, narrow ridges roughened by small scales.

WOOD.—Hard, strong, coarse-grained, durable in contact with the ground, red-brown, with thin, pale sapwood.

DISTRIBUTION.—Indigenous to the extreme southern portion of the state, but is planted as far north as Bay City.

HABITAT.—Prefers deep, rich loam, but grows on a variety of soils.

NOTES.—Grows rapidly and is long-lived and free from disease. Easily transplanted. The leaves appear late in spring and fall early in autumn. The stiff spines and long pods which litter the ground make the tree unsuitable for street or ornamental use.

LEGUMINOSAE

Redbud. Judas-tree

Cercis canadensis L.

HABIT.—A small tree 20-30 feet high, with a trunk diameter of 10-15 inches; divided near the ground into stout, straggling branches to form a broad, flat crown.

LEAVES.—Alternate, simple, 3-5 inches long and broad; heart-shaped or rounded; entire; thick; glabrous, dark green above, paler beneath, turning bright yellow in autumn; petioles slender, terete, enlarged at the base.

FLOWERS.—April-May, before or with the leaves; perfect; 1/2 inch long; borne on short, jointed pedicels in fascicles of 4-8; calyx campanulate, 5-toothed, dark red; petals 5, rose color; stamens 10, in 2 rows.

FRUIT.—June-July, remaining on the tree until early winter; a short-stalked legume 2-1/2-3 inches long, pointed at both ends, rose color; seeds 10-12, brownish, 1/4 inch long.

WINTER-BUDS.—Terminal bud absent; lateral buds 1/8 inch long, obtuse, somewhat flattened and appressed, brownish.

BARK.—Twigs lustrous, brown, becoming dark or grayish brown; red-brown, deeply fissured, with a scaly surface on old trunks.

WOOD.—Heavy, hard, coarse-grained, weak, dark red-brown, with thin, lighter colored sapwood.

DISTRIBUTION.—Valleys of the Grand and Raisin Rivers and southward.

HABITAT.—Prefers the borders of streams and rich bottom-lands, often in the shade of other trees.

NOTES.—A rapid grower. Hardy within its range. Can be transplanted with success only when very young. Plants begin to produce flowers freely when 4-5 years old. Much used in landscape gardening.

LEGUMINOSAE

Locust. Black Locust

Robinia pseudo-acacia L.

HABIT.—A tree 50-75 feet high, with a trunk diameter of 2-3 feet; forming a narrow, oblong crown of irregular, more or less contorted branches.

LEAVES.—Alternate, compound, 8-14 inches long. Leaflets 7-21, short-petiolate, 1-2 inches long, about one-half as broad; ovate to oblong-oval; entire; very thin; dull dark green above, paler beneath, glabrous both sides. Petioles slender, pubescent.

FLOWERS.—May-June, after the leaves; perfect; showy and abundant; very fragrant; borne on slender pedicels in loose, drooping racemes 4-5 inches long; about 1 inch long; calyx short, bell-shaped, 5-lobed, hairy; corolla papilionaceous, white, 5-petaled; stamens 10.

FRUIT.—Late autumn, but persistent on the tree through the winter; a smooth, dark brown, flat pod 3-4 inches long, containing 4-8 small, flattish, brown seeds.

WINTER-BUDS.—Terminal bud absent; lateral buds minute, 3-4 superposed, partially sunken within the leaf-scar, rusty-hairy.

BARK.—Twigs smooth, green, more or less rough-dotted at first, becoming red-brown and armed with prickles; dark red-brown and thick on old trunks, deeply furrowed into firm, sinuous ridges.

WOOD.—Heavy, very strong and hard, close-grained, very durable in contact with the soil, brown, with very thin, pale yellow sapwood.

NOTES.—Native to the Appalachian Mountains, but much planted in Michigan for ornamental and economic uses. Very rapid of growth in youth. Short-lived. Seriously attacked by borers. Spreads by underground shoots.