Which tree has long seed pods? Sort it by leaf, pod and region

Big simple leaves: catalpa, desert willow and redbud

Catalpa is the long-pod tree most people mean. Its pods are stiff, hang straight down and are round in cross-section, like a long thin bean: Virginia Tech gives 10 to 18 inches (25–46 cm) for northern catalpa and 8 to 14 for southern, the Missouri Botanical Garden up to 22 inches. They ripen dark brown in fall, split lengthwise and often stay on through winter. The leaves settle it: heart-shaped, 5 to 12 inches long, often in whorls of three. Large white, purple-spotted flowers come first, in late spring or summer. The catalpa page separates the two species and the look-alike paulownia, whose fruit is a short, egg-shaped capsule instead. For more big-leaved trees, see trees with heart-shaped leaves.

Desert willow looks like a small catalpa with willow leaves. NC State's desert willow profile describes narrow, lance-shaped simple leaves, trumpet-shaped pink, lavender or white flowers that resemble catalpa, and seed pods about 1/4 inch wide and 6 to 12 inches long holding winged seeds. It is not a willow; NC State lists "willowleaf catalpa" among its names. Native to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Mexico, it grows 15 to 25 feet (5–8 m).

Eastern redbud has heart-shaped leaves too, but short pods. NC State's redbud profile describes flat, oblong pods, green turning brown and roughly 2 to 4 inches long, that form by summer after the pink to purple spring flowers and can hang into winter. If a heart-leaved tree's pods are under 4 inches and flat, it is a redbud, not a catalpa.

Feathery compound leaves: locusts, coffeetree and mimosa

Honey locust has the longest pods among the common eastern legumes: flat, leathery, red-brown, 6 to 8 inches long, drying and twisting, under fine feathery leaves of 15 to 30 small leaflets. Wild trees carry large branched thorns; many planted ones are thornless and podless. Black locust pods are much shorter, flat and light brown, 2 to 4 inches, and its leaflets are oval and about an inch long. The locust page gives the four checks that separate them.

Kentucky coffeetree has the biggest leaves of any native tree: the USDA NRCS fact sheet gives doubly compound leaves 1 to 3 feet long with leaflets 2 to 3 inches. Virginia Tech's fact sheet describes a reddish-brown, flat but thickened pod 3 to 8 inches long and 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide, holding six or more dark seeds in a sticky pulp, ripening in late summer. Stout twigs with a large heart-shaped leaf scar make it easy in winter. NRCS states that the leaves, seeds and pulp are poisonous and toxic to livestock, humans and pets, and that male cultivars such as 'Espresso' produce no fruit.

Mimosa (silk tree) pairs feathery leaves with pink powder-puff flowers. NC State's mimosa profile gives doubly compound leaves with leaflets about 3/8 inch long, flowers from May to July, and flat, brown pods 4 to 8 inches long that mature from August to November and may stay on the tree through winter. Mimosa is native to Asia, from Iran to Japan, and NC State states that it is listed as invasive by the NC Invasive Plant Council.

Texas and the Southwest: mesquite and desert willow

For "long seed pods and small leaves" in Texas, start with honey mesquite. The USDA NRCS plant guide describes a shrub or tree 4 to 6 m (13–20 ft) tall with one or two stout spines at the nodes, doubly compound leaves of 6 to 15 leaflets per division, yellow flowers in spikes 7 to 9 cm long, and straight reddish-brown pods 7 to 20 cm (3–8 in) long, constricted between the seeds. It grows on plains and dry ranges. Desert willow, above, is the other native Texas tree with long pods; honey locust, mimosa and catalpa are the planted ones.

Florida: royal poinciana and golden shower

Royal poinciana is planted across south Florida for its flowers. UF/IFAS's fact sheet gives dark brown pods 1 to 2 feet (30–60 cm) long that hang on through winter and drop in spring, fern-like doubly compound leaves with leaflets about 1/2 inch, and bright red or orange flowers from May to July. It is native to Madagascar and grows in USDA zones 10B to 11.

Golden shower pods are round in cross-section, like catalpa's, but far darker. UF/IFAS's fact sheet describes cylindrical pods 1 to 2 feet long, green turning black, that persist through winter, hanging chains of yellow flowers 8 to 18 inches long, and compound leaves of 4 to 8 pairs of leaflets 3 to 6 inches long. UF/IFAS states that the seeds are poisonous. It is native to India, Malaysia and Southeast Asia.

Michigan, Ohio and the Great Lakes

In the northern states, the cold rules out the tropical trees and leaves four candidates: catalpa (the Missouri Botanical Garden lists northern catalpa for USDA zones 4 to 8), honey locust (zones 4a to 9b, per NC State), black locust (naturalized throughout the United States and southern Canada, per the USDA Forest Service) and Kentucky coffeetree (zones 3 to 8, per USDA NRCS). Round pods mean catalpa; long, twisted, flat pods honey locust; short flat pods black locust; thick, heavy pods Kentucky coffeetree.

UK: laburnum and the Indian bean tree

In Britain, a garden tree with long pods is most often a laburnum (golden chain tree). NC State's laburnum profile describes hanging chains of yellow flowers in May and June, leaves of three leaflets, and a long, flattened pod that splits when ripe. NC State rates its poison severity as high, states that all parts are poisonous, and that the seeds are extremely poisonous to humans, goats and horses. The other is the Indian bean tree, the name the RHS uses for southern catalpa, with slender bean-like pods after white flowers in late summer.

Wisteria has long, hanging pods too, but it is a woody vine, not a tree, even when it is trained up a wall or into a tree's crown.

Using a photo

Pods on the ground are easy to photograph, but many trees share flat pods, so frame a pod together with a leaf if you can. Tree Identifier names a tree from one photo, and southern catalpa, honey locust, black locust, eastern redbud, mimosa, royal poinciana, golden shower and Chinese wisteria are in its Collection. It shows no confidence score or alternatives, so check the answer against the pod and leaf table. Use the follow-up chat to ask how two candidates differ, never whether a pod is safe to eat. For acorns, nuts and winged seeds, see tree seed identification and trees with helicopter seeds.