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Cladrastis kentukea
Also called Yellowwood, American Yellow Wood, Kentucky Yellow Wood, Yellow Wood, American Yellowwood, Virgilia
A small to medium deciduous tree with fragrant white wisteria-like flower clusters in early summer and yellow-gold autumn foliage. It grows best in full sun and well-drained soil, and it tolerates urban conditions and high pH soils.
Cladrastis kentukea, the Kentucky yellowwood or American yellowwood (syn. C. lutea, C. tinctoria), is a species of Cladrastis native to the Southeastern United States, with a restricted range from western North Carolina west to eastern Oklahoma, and from southern Missouri and Indiana south to central Alabama. Historically, the tree was placed into the genus Virgilia, not to be confused with the present genus of African legume trees by that name.
Cladrastis kentukea is widely grown as an ornamental tree for its attractive flowers, and is locally naturalized in many areas of the eastern United States outside of its restricted native range. It thrives in full sunlight and in well-drained soil, tolerates high pH soils as well as acid situations. The Yellowwood can withstand urban settings and is attractive to birds. A number of cultivars have been selected, including 'Perkin's Pink' (syn. 'Rosea', an invalid name) with pink flowers.
Kentucky yellowwood is recommended as one of the best medium-sized trees for cultivation as an ornamental plant in gardens. The only quality that is mentioned is a tendency of the trunk to divide very near the ground, as a multi-trunked tree.
Cladrastis kentukea is one of the rarest trees of eastern North America. It is found principally on the limestone cliffs of Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina, but it is hardy as far north as zone 4.
The name yellowwood derives from its yellow heartwood, used in small amounts for specialist furniture, gunstocks and decorative woodturning.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Cladrastis kentukea by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
