Yellow-wood
- To: s*@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
- Subject: Yellow-wood
- From: B* S* <B*@HSC.EDU>
- Date: Thu, 22 Apr 1999 15:16:24 -0400
Not an understory tree, but a real favorite of mine is the yellow-wood.
The leaves are like locust leaves (it is a legume) but the bark is very
smooth and beech-like. In later spring or early summer, there are long,
hanging festoons of pea-shaped flowers in pure white, with a wonderful
fragrance. In fall, the leaves turn bright yellow. The general silhouette
of the tree resembles that of the American elm. This is a rare tree that
is found only in a small area of the southern Appalachians, and I believe
there is a second species in China.
Luckily it can easily be grown from seed. My tree is now 27 years old,
about 35' tall and a foot in diameter (they grow rapidly). There are at
least two huge specimens here in town that are 2-3 times that size. I do
not know of any current commercial source for plants or seeds, but if you
can find it, it is a premier lawn and shade tree. A good lawn tree,
because the compound leaves break up before falling, and the leaflets are
so small they just filter down into the grass.
Bill Shear
Department of Biology
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney VA 23943
(804)223-6172
FAX (804)223-6374
email<bills@hsc.edu>
