American yellow wood
| American yellow wood | ||||||||||||
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American yellowwood ( Cladrastis kentukea ) |
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| Cladrastis kentukea | ||||||||||||
| ( Dum.Cours. ) Rudd |
The American yellowwood ( Cladrastis kentukea (Dum. Cours.) Rudd , synonym : Cladrastis lutea (F. Michx.) K. Koch ) is a species of the genus Cladrastis in the subfamily of the butterflies (Faboideae).
description
The American yellowwood grows as a deciduous tree that typically reaches heights of 10 to over 16 meters, in exceptional cases of over 25 meters. It forms a rounded, arched tree crown . Its bark is smooth and thin, has a gray to gray-brown color and is similar to that of the European beech . The bright yellow color of the wood is the reason for the common German name American yellow wood.
The alternately arranged leaves are up to 25–32 centimeters long and divided into a petiole and a leaf blade. The petiole is 3 to 5 inches long. The leaf blade is alternately pinnate, with usually seven or nine (five to eleven) leaflets. The short-stalked, pointed to pointed, egg-shaped to obovate or elliptical leaflets are up to 6 to 14 inches long and 3 to 9 inches wide and have entire margins. The underside is slightly hairy, the top is bald. The stipules are missing. The autumn color is a bright yellow to orange. If the leaves fall, the rachis remains somewhat and the petiole encloses the new leaf bud at the bottom.
The American yellowwood blooms from June to August, but only irregularly every three to five years in its area of origin. The pleasantly fragrant, hermaphrodite and short-stalked, white to rarely pink-colored butterfly flowers with hairy and cup-shaped calyx with short lobes hang in large numbers in 25 to 35 centimeters long, terminal and stalked grapes .
The 6 to 10 centimeters long, flat and pointed legumes contain two to six seeds and are somewhat constricted.
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 28.
distribution
American yellowwood was originally only found in the eastern part of North America , from Virginia to Georgia .
use
The American yellowwood is used in the temperate latitudes as an ornamental plant on streets and parks. It thrives best on chalky, fresh, deep soils and tolerates shade.
A textile dye can be obtained from its yellowish wood . The wood itself is used in small quantities for special furniture, rifle stocks and decorative turning work.
literature
- Bruno P. Kremer: Steinbach's great plant guide. Eugen Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-8001-4903-6 .
- ML Dudley: A synopsis of the genus Cladrastis (Leguminosae). In: Rhodora. Vol. 105, No. 923, 2003, pp. 213 f, 221-226, archive.org .
Web links
- Baumkunde.de - Entry with many more photos .
- United Stated Department of Agriculture - Entry with many more photos .
- Cladrastis kentukea at Useful Temperate Plants.
Individual evidence
- ^ Cladrastis kentukea at Landscape Plants - Oregon State University.
- ↑ Cladrastis lutea at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis