2004 Theodore Klein Plant Award Winners

Cladrastis kentukea Yellowwood or American Yellowwood is a medium-sized flowering tree. The fragrant 1-1.5 inch white flowers found on 8-14 inch pendulous panicles are a delight in May. The leaves are alternate, odd-pinnately compound. The late Buddy Hubbuch, Director of Horticulture at Bernheim, loved this tree and planted several in the shade sun garden. He liked the yellow fall color that comes at a time when many other trees are already defoliated for winter. The bright yellow beacon of the yellowwood in the gray fall-winter scene found in most woodlands and gardens is a wonderful sight, especially when back- or side-lighted.The infrequently found Kentucky native woody tree is tolerant of a wide variety of Kentucky environs. More common to the acid soils of eastern Kentucky it can also be found on the alkaline soils of southernedge of the coalfield area.

To propagate by seed the seed coats are scarified (removed or thinned) with a sulfuric acid treatment and stored or directly sown. ‘Perkin's Pink', the pink flowering yellowwood cultivar from the Arnold Arboretum originally distributed as ‘Rosea' is propagated by budding to a seedling rootstock.