Thorny Locust Gleditsia triacanthos
Other Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Gleditsia ferox
- Phonetic Spelling
- gleh-DIT-see-uh try-a-KAN-thos
- Description
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Honey locust is a rapidly growing, large deciduous tree in the Fabaceae (bean) family and found scattered throughout North Carolina, except for the high mountains. It is native to central and eastern North America, from North Carolina to Mexico. This tree can grow up to 80 feet tall with a single trunk 2 to 3 feet in diameter and a broad, flat-topped crown, casting light shade that allows turf grass to grow underneath. It sometimes grows in forests but is more commonly found beside roads and fields.
Plant it in full sun and in well-drained, moist soil high in organic matter. It will tolerate partial shade but does not grow in full shade. It also tolerates a wide variety of soil types and moisture conditions. The trunk and branches have stout thorns (up to 3 inches long) that have one or three branches. Propagation is through seed or stem cutting.
This tree is not recommended for landscapes because of its thorns and seed pods. The tree can spread quickly and become a weed problem in some pasture areas. Mowing or cutting increases sprouts. Look for thornless varieties like Gleditsia trianthos var. inermis or thornless and podless cultivars like 'Sunburst.'
Honey locust is an excellent choice to plant in a native garden or as a street or security tree. The pulp inside the seed pod is edible which makes the tree an attractant for bees, moths, butterflies, and small mammals. It is the host plant for the larvae of the Silver-spotted skipper (Epargyreus clarus) moth. This tree is highly salt, wind and drought tolerant once established and resistant to damage by deer and pollution.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Borers, webworms, and locust leafminers may be problems. Honey locusts are susceptible to leaf spot, canker, witches’ broom, powdery mildew, and rust.
VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Gleditsia triacanthos var inermis
Thornless variety and source of all species cultivars. - 'Harve’
Medium to large, thornless and seedless, winter hardy. - 'Impcole'
AKA IMPERIAL, thornless, nearly seedless, rounded compact form 30' to 40' tall. - 'Skyline'
Pyramidal growth with a central leader, thornless and nearly seedless, grows to 40' to 45' tall. - 'Sunburst'
Yellow leaves, fruitless and thornless
var. inermis
No thorns - Gleditsia triacanthos var inermis
- Gleditsia triacanthos var inermis, 'Harve’, 'Impcole', 'Skyline', 'Sunburst', var. inermis
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- Gleditsia triacanthos var inermis
Thornless variety and source of all species cultivars. - 'Harve’
Medium to large, thornless and seedless, winter hardy. - 'Impcole'
AKA IMPERIAL, thornless, nearly seedless, rounded compact form 30' to 40' tall. - 'Skyline'
Pyramidal growth with a central leader, thornless and nearly seedless, grows to 40' to 45' tall. - 'Sunburst'
Yellow leaves, fruitless and thornless
var. inermis
No thorns - Gleditsia triacanthos var inermis
- Gleditsia triacanthos var inermis, 'Harve’, 'Impcole', 'Skyline', 'Sunburst', var. inermis
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Gleditsia
- Species:
- triacanthos
- Family:
- Fabaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Coarse grained, hard, strong wood is moderately resistant to decay. Timber used as fence posts, railroad ties, furniture, shipping pallets, tool handles, and fuel. Native Americans used the dried pulp from the seed pods as a sweetening agent and used its wood for bows. The thorns have been used as pins.
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Central and Eastern North America, NC to Mexico
- Distribution:
- Located throughout the United States (except for Washington state and Oregon) and Ontario, Canada.
- Wildlife Value:
- Bean pods are eaten by white-tailed deer, squirrels, rabbits, hogs, opossums, and raccoons, deer browse young shoots in spring and bark of young trees in the winter. Butterflies, bees, and moths nectar at the flowers. It is the larval host plant for the Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus).
- Edibility:
- The pulp inside the seed pod is edible, raw or cooked, but mostly consumed by livestock and wildlife.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 60 ft. 0 in. - 80 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 60 ft. 0 in. - 80 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Native Plant
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Arching
- Rounded
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Medium
- Appendage:
- Thorns
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- more than 60 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Red/Burgundy
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Winter
- Fruit Type:
- Legume
- Fruit Length:
- > 3 inches
- Fruit Description:
- Female flowers are replaced by reddish-brown, twisted, flat bean pods 12 to 18 inches long containing oval seeds appear in the summer and can remain on the tree through the winter. Seed pods twist into corkscrew shapes and can be messy to maintain once they fall off the tree. The pods turn black when ripe and contain a sweet-tasting sticky substance that gives Honeylocust its common name.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Insignificant
- Raceme
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Shape:
- Radial
- Wheel
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- 1-3 inches
- Flower Description:
- Small greenish yellow 2 to 3 inch long, narrow, hanging, clustered flowers. Flowers have a sweet fragrance and bloom for about two weeks in summer.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Cream/Tan
- Gold/Yellow
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Feathery alternate pinnately compound 5 to 8 inches long leaves with 15 to 30, oval, 1 to 1 1/2 inch leaflets. Can also be found with bininnately compound leaves with 4 to 7 pairs of minor leaflets. Leaflets are shiny dark green above and yellow-green below.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Brown
- Dark Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Lenticels
- Bark Description:
- Narrow, flat plates that are initially grey-brown to bronze, smooth, with many horizontal lenticels. Later breaks into long, narrow curling plated bark.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- Branches and trunk are armed with stout, rigid, three-forked spines that are 2 to 3 inches long.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Lawn
- Landscape Theme:
- Drought Tolerant Garden
- Native Garden
- Design Feature:
- Security
- Street Tree
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Butterflies
- Moths
- Small Mammals
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Black Walnut
- Deer
- Drought
- Pollution
- Problems:
- Messy
- Spines/Thorns
