Safety note: Seeds and leaves are toxic; do not ingest raw.
Kentucky Coffeetree is a large, stout-branched tree of bottomland forests with massive twice-compound leaves and thick, leathery seed pods. The pods persist through winter on the tree, providing an unusual silhouette. Like honey locust, its large pods were likely dispersed by Pleistocene megafauna, and it is now naturally rare outside cultivation.
Habitat
Rich bottomland forests and moist ravines in the eastern United States
Diet
Pods occasionally eaten by deer and squirrels; otherwise limited wildlife value
How common
Uncommon
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