Scientific name: Cladrastis kentukea
Common name: Kentucky yellowwood
Native: Yes
Native range: Native to the eastern United States [1,3].
Distribution in North America: Click to view the USDA Plants Database page for C. kentukea.
USDA Zones: 4-8 [1]
Maximum age: Can live up to 60-100 years [4,5], but may perish at 30-40 years if not properly pruned [3].
Ecology: Deer may threaten regeneration by excessively browsing saplings [7]. Its branches make a perfect home for songbirds, while bees and other pollinators visit its abundant, white flowers [6,8].
Ethnobotany: Sprays of white flowers make this tree a desirable ornamental, while the yellow-colored heartwood lends itself to various woodworking applications [6]. Indigenous Americans, particularly the Cherokee, use the tree as a building material and source of wood for carvings [2].
[1] http://hort.ufl.edu/database/documents/pdf/
[2] http://naeb.brit.org/uses/species/990/
[3] https://www.uky.edu/hort/Yellowwood
[4] https://www.nationalarboretum.act.gov.au/
living-collections/forests-and-trees/forest-97
[5] https://trees.wustl.edu/items/21/
[6] https://www.indefenseofplants.com/blog/
2018/5/28/the-curious-case-of-the-yellowwood-tree
