Twigs: Slender, reddish-brown, with some lenticels, somewhat zigzag; leaf scars alternate, narrow and completely encircling the bud, with 3-7 bundle traces.
Buds: Three or four crowded together, resembling at first a single bud, hairy, without scales, covered at first by the hollow base of the leafstalk.
Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound, with 7-11 leaflets; leaflets oval, pointed at the tip, tapering to the base, up to 4 inches long and up to half as wide, smooth on both surfaces, toothless along the edges. The leaflets turn yellow in the autumn.
Flowers: In long, drooping clusters up to 1 foot long, white, slightly fragrant, appearing during June.
Fruit: Legumes up to 4 inches long and about ½ inch wide, flat, smooth, pale brown, with 4-6 seeds.
Wood: Hard, heavy, strong, close-grained, yellow to light brown.
Uses: Fuel. In olden days, a yellow dye was extracted from this tree.
Habitat: Rich, wooded slopes.
Range: North Carolina across to southern Missouri and Arkansas, south to northern Alabama and northern Georgia.
Distinguishing Features: The large, pinnately compound leaflets and the smooth, gray trunk distinguish this tree.