Fabaceae - Bean Family
"A Year With the Trees" - Tree Number 30
Yellowwood
Cladrastis kentuckea
"A Year With the Trees" - Tree Number 30
Yellowwood
Cladrastis kentuckea
January 30, 2026
Check out this post to see pictures of this tree in all four seasons.
Spring
This tree is identified by its alternately compounded, 8-12 inch leaves. There may be 7-11 leaflets per leaf that are elliptical to ovate and 3-4 inches long each. The flowers are out in May. These flowers have been called the most beautiful tree flowers in the American Forests. The flowers do not appear every year; just every 2-5 years.
Summer
Fall
This tree lives at the Asheville Botanical Gardens in the meadow over the green bridge near the Gazebo. It is so beautiful in the fall light. I could hear the seed pods today blowing in the cool breeze, it was the sound of fall's music. www.ashevillebotanicalgardens.org
Winter
You can always identify this tree in the winter by seeing the dried pods hanging from the limbs and the smooth light-colored bark.
This Yellowwood tree and yellow-bellied sapsucker both live at the Asheville Botanical Gardens. www.ashevillebotanicalgardens.org
Spring
This tree is identified by its alternately compounded, 8-12 inch leaves. There may be 7-11 leaflets per leaf that are elliptical to ovate and 3-4 inches long each. The flowers are out in May. These flowers have been called the most beautiful tree flowers in the American Forests. The flowers do not appear every year; just every 2-5 years.
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| The Yellowwood Tree in May at the North Carolina Arboretum |
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| The Yellowwood Sign by the Yellowwood Tree at the North Carolina Arboretum |
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| Yellowwood Tree at the Botanical Gardens of Asheville in June |
My daughter and I measured the Botanical Gardens tree for the Asheville Tree map a few years ago. We found our tape measure showed that three trunks all emerged from the base. At 4 1/2 feet from the earth, we had three trunk measurements of 55 inches, 44 inches, and 37 inches. I had planned to post this info on the website for the Asheville Tree Map.
The Asheville Tree Map is not active anymore. We now have in the City of Asheville a Urban Forester. I will be reaching out to him to see if there in a new Asheville Tree Map that we are able to enter data about trees.
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| The Yellowwood Tree |
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| The Yellowwood Tree |
This tree lives at the Asheville Botanical Gardens in the meadow over the green bridge near the Gazebo. It is so beautiful in the fall light. I could hear the seed pods today blowing in the cool breeze, it was the sound of fall's music. www.ashevillebotanicalgardens.org
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| Yellowwood tree |
You can always identify this tree in the winter by seeing the dried pods hanging from the limbs and the smooth light-colored bark.
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| Yellowwood tree and the yellow-bellied sapsucker photo by http://www.robertpriddyphoto.com/ |
This Yellowwood tree and yellow-bellied sapsucker both live at the Asheville Botanical Gardens. www.ashevillebotanicalgardens.org
For the love of the trees,
Becky
