This is Gymnocladus dioicus, the Kentucky coffeetree. There’s a line of them at the Piet Oudolf garden at the Hauser + Wirth Gallery in Somerset. Apparently they come into leaf late and drop their leaves early, so presumably Mr Oudolf chose them for their architectural quality. The seeds can be roasted to make a coffee substitute, apparently.
I was chatting with Jason about the place. We were thinking of going down soon, but then perhaps it might be best to wait until next year when the gardens fill out. What do you think?
Depends on how desperate you are to see it. There’s plenty to see now, but it will definitely be more spectacular next year…
That is a beautiful specimen of a tree.