The yellowwood is native to the southeastern United States and gets its common name from the wood which is yellow, heavy, and very hard. A low-branching species, yellowwood grows 30 to 50 feet tall with an equivalent spread and a rounded crown. Use it as a shade tree or specimen plant. The pealike flowers, which are more abundant in alternate years, hang in strings 8 to 14 inches long. These drooping clusters of fragrant blooms are among the most beautiful to be found. Lovely chartreuse leaves distinguish this tree in the spring and summer, when they contrast nicely with darker greens in the garden. In the fall, the foliage turns yellow, gold, and orange, making it a four-season tree. Yellowwood also has a handsome, silvery, sinuous bark that becomes prominent in the winter and as it matures.