Backyard and Beyond

Starting out from Brooklyn, an amateur naturalist explores our world.

As John Burroughs said, “The place to observe nature is where you are.”

Neighbor

There’s a Kentucky Coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioica) on the street around the corner. This Midwesterner is a fairly uncommon tree here in the city, but a few are scattered on the streets and in the parks. It is on the official street tree list, in the form of the suggested cultivar “Espresso” (cute). Male and female flowers are produced on separate trees in this species, but the tree can get by this geographical difficulty by growing in clonal groupings.I identified this tree by noticing the distinctive pods. You’ve seen the pods before if you’re a regular here at B&B.. The seeds within the pods are toxic when raw. When roasted, however, the seeds were used as a coffee substitute by hard-up pioneers who had crossed the Appalachians without benefit of Starbucks.

I’ll return for a picture of this tree’s bipinnately compound leaves once they are out in force.

mthew

6 responses to “Neighbor”

  1. Denise P. Puchol

    the seeds are toxic, but when roasted can be used as a coffee substitute?
    how’d anyone figure that out!!
    as always, thanks for educating me on a tree I’ve never seen/noticed before

    Reply
    1. mthew

      Good question. They may not actually kill you, and many things are more palatable/taste better prepared, like acorns that need to be leached, etc.

      Reply
      1. mthew

        Evidently, the pioneers picked up the trick from the Native Americans, the same people who showe them how to deal with acorns and oysters…

  2. Paul Lamb

    I don’t have any of those in my Ozarks woods, but I’m sure the local critters would love them for the seeds to eat.

    Send me some pods.

    Reply
    1. mthew

      Sure there aren’t any? Range maps for the species look to cover the Ozarks (most of MO, northern AR). They like deep rich soil in bottomlands.

      Reply
      1. Paul Lamb

        Well, my woods are ridgetop, so that might explain it.

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