Cladrastis lutea
Kentucky yellowwood · also American yellowwood, Yellowwood, Virgilia
Report an issue with this species
This deciduous tree, native to the southeastern U.S., features a broad, rounded crown with feathery leaves that turn yellow in fall. It produces showy, fragrant white flowers in late spring, followed by yellow-brown seedpods. The species is drought tolerant once established, but its brittle branches can be vulnerable to high winds.
Where it grows
Trees in each city's inventory, with the share of that city's named trees this species accounts for.
- 1,9280.98%8.0 yr3.5 in
- 3540.11%6.0 yr2.0 in
- 2480.08%—3.0 in
- 400.11%—1.6 in
- 70.00%2.8 yr2.4 in
- 50.02%—2.0 in
- 30.02%—12 in
- 20.00%——
- 10.00%—30 in
Traits
- Form
- Broadleaf
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Mature height
- 30–50 ft
- Canopy spread
- 30–55 ft
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Soil
- Well-drained, Alkaline
- Water needs
- Low
- Drought tolerance
- High
- Wildlife value
- High
- Blooms
- May, Jun
Trunk diameters across every city: median 3.0 in, mean 3.9 in, 90th percentile 7.2 in. Measured at breast height, as published by each inventory.
Native range
Terrestrial ecoregions where this species is native. Trees in the dataset mostly stand well outside it.
Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests
- Mississippi lowland forests
Other Cladrastis in the catalogue
3 of the top 2,000 species are in this genus.
