Twigs: Stout, dark brown with orange lenticels, slightly hairy; leaf scars alternate, heart-shaped, with 3 or 5 bundle traces; pith chocolate-colored.
Buds: Tiny, sunken in hairy cavities immediately above each leaf scar.
Leaves: Alternate, doubly pinnately compound, with many leaflets; leaflets ovate, pointed at the tip, rounded at the base, up to 2 inches long and about half as broad, without teeth along the edge, dark green and smooth on the upper surface, yellow-green and smooth or hairy on the veins on the lower surface.
Flowers: Staminate and pistillate borne separately on separate trees, in more or less elongated, greenish clusters, appearing after the leaves have unfolded, each flower with 5 oblong, hairy petals.
Fruit: Short, thick legumes up to 10 inches long and up to 2 inches wide, dark brown, leathery, smooth, containing several large seeds embedded in a thick, sweet pulp.
Wood: Heavy, strong, durable, coarse-grained, reddish-brown.
Uses: Fence posts, fuel, rough construction. The seeds can be used as a substitute for coffee.
Habitat: Rich, often bottomland, woods.
Range: New York across to South Dakota, south to Oklahoma, east to Tennessee.
Distinguishing Features: The doubly compound leaves with large leaflets, the short, thick legumes, and the thick twigs with sunken buds readily distinguish this tree. It is one of the last trees to put forth its leaves in the spring.