Botanical Name: Cladrastis kentuckea
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Common Name: Yellowwood  
Plant photo of: Cladrastis kentuckea
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Water Saving Tip:

Even though it's hot, your lawn only needs to be watered twice a week to stay healthy.

And don't water the whole lawn for a brown spot—drag out a hose.

  • Anatomy

  • Culture

  • Design

Plant Type

Tree

 

Height Range

25-40', 40-60'

 

Flower Color

White

 

Flower Season

Spring

 

Leaf Color

Green

 

Bark Color

Grey

 

Fruit Color

Brown

 

Fruit Season

Summer, Fall

Information by: Stephanie Duer
Photographer:
  • Description

  • Notes

Yellowwood is a deciduous tree of the legume family which features a broad, rounded crown; slow growing 30 to 50 feet tall and wide. Pinnately compound leaves open yellowish green, turn bright green in summer, and then yellow in fall. May not flower for the first 8-10 years, but once the bloom begins, it can be spectacular. Intensely fragrant, wisteria-like, white flowers in large, drooping panicles (10-15" long) will virtually cover a mature tree in late spring (profuse bloom in alternate years). Flowers give way to flat, brown seed pods (2.5-4" long) which mature in September thru October. Wood of this tree contains a yellow dye which distinctively colors the heartwood and gives rise to the common name.