Form: It grows to approximately 50 ft. maximum height and 2 ft. dbh and has a wide spreading crown.

Leaves:
             

Arrangement: alternate; odd-pinnately compound

Shape: petiole swollen at base and enclosing bud; 7-11 leaflets

Margin: entire

Texture: silky pubescent below

Venation: pinnate

Bark: It has thin smooth gray bark with light blotches.

Twigs and buds: It's twigs are smooth and yellowish-brown in color. Leaf scars nearly encircle buds and lateral buds are pubescent.

Flowers and fruit: It has fragrant white flowers that appear in panicles. Fruit is a legume, brown and papery.

Distinguishing characteristics: It is pinnately compound and the bud is enclosed in the petiole.

Range: Alabama northeast to southwest Virginia

Silvics: It is shade tolerant and grows on moist mountain slopes and calcareous bluffs.

Ecological and cultural importance: The wood yields a yellow dye and is used as paneling, gunstocks, and turning wood.