Get to Know Our Natives by Nature
This month, we will Get to Know our native Kentucky Coffee-tree.
Scientific name: Gymnocladus dioicus
Kentucky Coffee-tree Flower. Source: www.treebee.ca
Status: Threatened. This means the Kentucky Coffee-tree lives in the wild in Ontario, is not endangered, but is likely to become endangered if steps are not taken to address factors threatening it.
Kentucky Coffee-tree grows 15 to 25 metres high. It is well-known for having the largest leaves of any Canadian tree, with leaves as big as 60 by 90 centimetres. It also produces greenish-white flowers.
The fruit of Kentucky Coffee-tree is leathery and bean-like pod, about 15 to 25 cm long. You will see the fruit remain on the tree throughout the winter.
Where is Grows
Kentucky Coffee-tree tolerates a variety of habitats, but prefers to grow in moist, rich soil. It is often found in floodplains. It can also be found in rocky or sandy soils. The tree is shade-tolerant, growing along the edges of woodlots.
In Canada, the Kentucky Coffee-tree is only found in southwest Ontario.
Fact: Kentucky Coffee-tree is threatened by the lack of suitable or good quality habitat and poor seed production. Clearing of land for agriculture also seriously threatens this species.
Large populations of Double-crested Cormorants threaten some populations of Kentucky Coffee-tree in the Great Lakes region because their droppings accumulate at nesting colonies in quantities that are toxic to this rare tree.
Note: The planting of ornamental Kentucky Coffee-trees from non-native stock may pose a threat since their genes may contaminate the locally adapted gene pool.
Trees for Life has obtained a grant through the Ontario government’s Species At Risk Program (SARP). This grant will provide up to $195,000, over three years, to support the planting of two specific species considered to be at risk: Butternut and Kentucky Coffee Tree.
Source: https://www.ontario.ca/page/kentucky-coffee-tree-species-risk
Kentucky Coffee-tree. Source: www.treebee.ca