Botanical Name: Cladrastis kentuckea
Add
Common Name: Yellowwood  
Plant photo of: Cladrastis kentuckea
Previous Photo      Next Photo

Water Saving Tip:

Replace turf with groundcovers, trees, and shrubs. If you have areas where no one uses the grass, patches that do not grow well, or a turf area too small to water without runoff, consider replacing the turf with water-efficient landscaping.

  • 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.