Here on my farm in Central Kentucky I have a lot of these Ky Coffee Trees. they are apparently not as common as they once were. I have read that they are an "ancient" tree (around for a long time) and they now grow primarily in isolated stands. I read they think the trees and pods used to be eaten by large herbivores and the seeds that went undigested was how the trees were spread around. Once the giant herbivores went extinct the trees stopped spreading (the seeds are too big for small herbivores to swallow whole and I can tell you, squirrels have no interest in them). I had a 5 foot diameter one near my house along with many many smaller ones around the property, so I think one was planted many years ago (my house dates before the civil war). The large one was struck by lightning about 4 years ago and eventually died. I burn the wood from that tree to this day. It has two interesting characteristics as a fire wood. First, even the wood that I have let sit for 3 years and has gotten very very dry, burns as if it has been soaked in fat or something. I mean it really roars if you have your damper wide open. I know of no other wood around here that burns like this. Secondly, after you burn some for a couple of nights and it's time to shovel out the ash, there are big grey colored, crumbly concretions with the ashes. These aren't a pain or anything, but I find it remarkable that I am burning a tree that when I completely burn it, I am left with something other than powdery ash. Again, something I have never experienced with any other wood I have burned.
They are a nice shade tree, grow fairly fast and their branch structure, when covered with an inch or two of snow is really beautiful in the winter. Their only real downside is their pods which accumulate under the tree and are a pain in the A** to pick up. Wish I had a giant herbivore.
Quote: 'The road to Lourdes is littered with crutches,but not one wooden leg.' E. Zola
