Gymnocladus dioicus
Dendrologie 1: 5. 1869.
Trees to 30 m. Stems with numerous branches; bark dark brown, to 3 cm diam., deep fissures present forming crusty ridges; twigs somewhat hairy early, pithy, stout, gradually becoming brown and imprinted with leaf scars. Leaves 30–90 × 40–60 cm; stipules 1 cm; first, sometimes also second, pinnae consisting of leaflets often 2 times as large as others; pinnae short-petiolulate; leaflets 6–14, terminal often absent; blades ovate to oval, 30–70 mm, base rounded, apex acuminate, woolly and pinkish when unfolding, surfaces abaxially pale green, adaxially shiny, dark green. Flowers: calyx 1 cm, hairy, lobes linear-lanceolate; corolla actinomorphic, petals 5, oblong, 1–1.5 cm; stamens shorter than petals, filaments hairy, anthers bright orange; ovary sessile, hairy; style short. Legumes borne in clusters of 3–5, dark red-brown, 12–25 × 3–7 cm, glaucous, margins thick, with dark pulp surrounding seeds. Seeds dark brown, 2 cm, hard; endosperm thin. 2n = 28.
Phenology: Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat: Rich bottomlands, slope forests, disturbed areas.
Elevation: 10–1000 m.
Distribution
Ont., Ark., Conn., Del., D.C., Ga., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Mo., Nebr., N.J., N.Y., N.C., N.Dak., Ohio, Okla., Pa., S.Dak., Tenn., Tex., Va., W.Va., Wis., introduced in South America, Europe, Australia.
Discussion
Some of the more peripheral northern, eastern, and southeastern occurrences of Gymnocladus dioicus (Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, eastern Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, eastern Pennsylvania, Quebec, and South Carolina) are presumably escapes from horticultural introductions, but the exact limits of native and introduced distributions are unclear in some areas.
Selected References
None.