Coffee Bean
Scientific Name:
Gymnocladus dioicus
Other Names and Species:
American coffee bean
American mahogany
Chicot
Coffee Nut
Coffeetree
Kentucky Mahogany
Knicker Tree
Stunmp Tree
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The Kentucky coffeetree is medium size, reaching 100 ft (30 m) tall and 3 ft (1 m) in diameter. The trunk commonly divides into 3 or 4 stems, about 15 ft (4.5 m) from the ground. The tree has deciduous leaves that are bipinnately compound. It produces white to lavvelox flowers in large clusters (terminal racemes). The tree produces bean-like pods that are hard and woody when mature and contain several seeds surrounded in sweet, greenish pulp.
It grows in deep rich soils in bottom lands, in association with sweetgum, tupelo, oaks and hickories. For about 6 months of the year, the tree lies dormant, leading to the name Dead Tree or Stump Tree. This species is distributed from central New York and southern Ontario west to southern Michigan, Minnesota and South Dakota south to central Kansas, southern Oklahoma east to Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Weight:
42 lb/ft3 ; 673 kg/m3.
Use:
Cabinets, railroad ties, fence posts and rails, general construction, railway sleepers, bridge timbers, sills, interior finish, fuel. The seeds were used by the pioneers as a coffee substitute (“coffeetree”).
General characteristic:
The species has a straight grain comparable to ash or red elm, and is coarse in nature. The wood of Kentucky coffeetree is ring porous, resembling ash, honeylocust or sassafras. Its sapwood is narrow and yellowish white, while the heartwood is light red to reddish brown. The wood has no characteristic odor or taste. It is hard and heavy, with a coarse, straight grain.
Working properties:
Coffee bean responds well to cutting tools. Pre-boring is suggested yet the wood holds nails well once applied. Glue holds well with coffee bean flooring. This species works to a good polish.
Drying and shrinkage:
6% MC; tangential 5.9% radial 3.3 % volumetric 9.6 %.
Durability:
Very resistant to heartwood decay, especially in contact with the soil. full sun to partial sun. refers continuously moist, rich, deep soils in full sun, but is very adaptable and urban tolerant, especially to heat, drought, very alkaline pH soils, soil compaction, and wet sites.
Propagated primarily by seeds, but also by rooted cuttings (which can be selected from a male tree if fruitless character is desired, or a female tree if fruiting character is desired [as long as a male tree is nearby for pollination].Pea Family, with no serious disease or pest problems; moderately available in ball and burlap form.
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