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Yellowwood is an example where the same common name is applied to several species.  The species covered here is Cladrastis kentukea (Dum. Cours.) Rudd or synonymously C. lutea (Michx. f.) K. Koch, depending on what source is cited.  Other species called yellowwood are American smoketree, Cotinus ovata Raf., which was almost harvested to extinction locally for use as a yellow dye around the time of the Civil War, and Carolina buckthorn, Frangula caroliniana (Walter) A. Gray, because of it also having yellow colored wood.  The genus Zanthoxylem L., which includes toothache tree or prickly-ash, also means yellow wood but there is no vernacular confusion in this case.  Yellowwood is described as the most beautiful flowering trees, although in the wild flowering only occurs ever 3-5 years.  The tree has smooth gray bark like American beech, Fagus grandifolia L., compound leaves where the leaflets are also alternate, leaf scars that surround the buds, and terminal panicles of dangling white flowers with long petals.  It usually grows on cool moist slopes with limestone bedrock, and some of the places near here include Coon Gulf Small Wild Area near Gorham’s Bluff, the Flint River between US Hwy. 72 and Little Cove Road, and the Walls of Jericho.  The flowering time is about May as is typical of terminal flowers on new growth.  I have grown them from seed a few times and it takes a long time thus explaining how proud nurseries are of them.  The potential size is relatively large but it is rarely found fully reaching this potential.  The current Alabama state champion yellowwood is at the Walls of Jericho and measures 28 inches around, 48 feet tall, and a limb spread of 28 feet thus 83 total point, which exceeded the previous champion with 56 points primary due to an extra foot in trunk circumference 15 feet in height.  A photo of the current champion yellowwood tree will be coming soon.