THE FOLKLORE OF PLANTS: Coffeetree

Lisa Karen Miller

          Native American tribes and early settlers used the seed pods of the coffeetree as a coffee substitute.  They are toxic, however, if not roasted for at least three hours at 150 degrees. Though it enjoyed the status of being Kentucky’s state tree from 1976 to 1994, the coffeetree has since been usurped by the tulip poplar.

          Though birds will nest in it, its toxicity means it is seldom used as a food source for wildlife. Native American tribes put the seedpods into water to stun fish. Cattle have been poisoned by drinking from ponds bordered by coffeetrees – the leaves and seeds fall into the water.

          Instead of felling these no longer common trees, which we need in order to maintain biological diversity, a better idea is to fence them off so livestock cannot get to the fallout.

          Also toxic to insects and pests, it is a good landscape alternative to ash or elm, which are often ravaged by insects and diseases. Its toleration of limestone soil makes it a perfect tree for Kentucky.

          Scientists tell us that the tree’s leaves and mast probably were eaten by large herbivores such as the woolly mammoth in the Pleistocene Epoch. They dispersed the seeds by excretion as they grazed. The extinction of these animals has made the tree somewhat anachronistic in modern North America. Since they are no longer naturally dispersed, the seeds either rot in their pulp or drop too close to the parent tree to be viable.

          This is a perfect example of natural selection.  When something is no longer needed, it naturally declines.  

          Shedding its leaves early, it appears bare for almost six months of the year.  Its genus name, Gymnocladus, means naked branch.  It is also called Dead Tree for this reason. Having few twigs means it allows a great deal of winter sun to reach your house, thereby lowering heating bills.

          Having a taproot like a carrot, the tree isn’t widely offered in nurseries because the root can be several times longer than the tree itself, making it difficult to transplant. Small saplings are best. If you want to avoid the mess of fallen seedpods produced by female trees, try a male cultivar such as Espresso, True North, or Stately Manor.

          Always a tree lover, George Washington lined the path leading up to Mount Vernon with coffeetrees. 

          Local examples of coffeetrees can be found at the Kentucky Building on the WKU campus.

© Copyright 2023 Lisa Karen Miller