Cladrastis kentukea ‘Perkins Pink’

Yellowwood is a medium growing, deciduous tree of the legume family which features a broad, rounded crown and typically grows 30-50′ tall. Pinnately compound leaves (usually with 7-11 leaflets) open as yellowish green, turn bright green in summer, and then turn yellow in fall. Tree may not flower for the first 8-10 years, but once the bloom begins, it can be spectacular. Intensely fragrant, wisteria-like, white flowers in large, drooping, terminal panicles (10-15″ long) will virtually cover a mature tree in late spring (profuse bloom in alternate years). Bloom is similar in appearance to that of black locust (Robinia). Flowers give way to flat, brown seed pods (2.5-4″ long) which mature in September-October.

‘Perkins Pink’ (synonymous with ‘Rosea’) is an uncommon pink-flowered cultivar that was originally discovered in the 1930s at the Perkins Institute for the Blind, Watertown, Massachusetts.  (Courtesy of Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder)