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THE GARDEN SAGEA library of living things
Trees & woodland lore · Western North Carolina field companion

American yellowwood

Cladrastis kentukea

leaves. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.
leaves. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeDavid J Stang ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.

Showy native specimen; prune young for sound branch structure and avoid wet soil.

Sun Exposure
Full sun–part shade
MATURE HEIGHT (FT)
30–50
MATURE WIDTH (FT)
40–55
BLOOM SEASON
Late spring
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Get to know this plant.

Identification clue 1

Odd-pinnate compound leaves

Identification clue 2

Leaflets with smooth edges

Identification clue 3

Long white flower clusters

Read the leaves

Find the whole leaf: several broad leaflets share one stalk, with one terminal leaflet. Their edges are smooth.

More growing details

Read the bark

Smooth gray bark can resemble beech, so combine bark with the compound leaf.

Fruit & seed

Flat pods follow hanging clusters of white pea-like flowers; crops vary greatly among years.

Winter character

Leaf bases conceal buds during the growing season; bare twigs and smooth bark need careful comparison.

Origin & place

Yellowwood has a scattered, localized native range; a nursery planting does not demonstrate a naturally occurring local population.

Compare with Black locust

Black locust often has paired stipular spines and more deeply furrowed mature bark; yellowwood has smooth gray bark.

WNC Notes

Showy native specimen; prune young for sound branch structure and avoid wet soil.

Sun Exposure

Full sun–part shade

MATURE HEIGHT (FT)

30–50

MATURE WIDTH (FT)

40–55

BLOOM SEASON

Late spring

BLOOM COLOR

White

FALL / WINTER COLOR

Yellow

Wet-Soil Tolerance

Moderate

Drought Tolerance

Moderate

LOOK CLOSELY

Two views, a closer look.

Place two photographs beside one another. Compare the overall plant with leaves, flowers, or bark when those views are available. Captions identify what each photograph actually shows. Images are not at the same scale; species references may show different cultivars.

leaves. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.
leaves. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeDavid J Stang ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.
Smooth silver bark — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.
Smooth silver bark — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeKristine Paulus ↗ · CC BY 2.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; full original composition retained.
Mature fruits (bean pods) — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.
Mature fruits (bean pods) — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeDavid J Stang ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; full original composition retained.

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