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COFFEE TREE

Gymnocladus dioicus
Gymnocladus dioicus (also given as dioica and dioicous) of the family Leuminosae, the legume or pea family

The frequent designation "Kentucky" coffeetree would be more correctly given as "American" since it grows in several states throughout the East, Mideast, and Northeast of the USA, and in some areas of Canada. It is sometimes incorrectly designated as a mahogany. It is heavy and strong but not very hard and it is coarse grained in a way that makes it look a lot like red oak and sassafras. Reportedly, the beans of the tree CAN be used to make coffee, but only in a slightly more reasonable way than using mud to make chocolate.

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my samples:


two views of a plank contributed by Chris Arvidson, whom I thank for this and other contributions


end grain closeup of the piece directly above


same plank as directly above, but moistened with water --- as you can see, this is one of those woods where a finishing agent muddies the separation between early and late growth on the end grain.


both sides of a Kentucky coffee tree sample plank


end grain and end grain closeup of the sample plank directly above

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web pics


planks


planks listed as "Kentucky" coffee tree, which is a designation I sometimes see, but which I believe is just a synonym for coffee tree and does not designate a separate subspecies. The bright orange color on the first one seems totally unrealistic to me, as does the bright yellow on the last one.


more "Kentucky" coffee tree planks --- color looks very realistic to me


log half listed as "Kentucky" coffee tree


both sides of a Kentucky coffee tree plank


veneer listed as Kentucky coffee tree


three planks and a closeup of the most interesting of the three