Honey locust

Scientific name: Gleditsia triacanthos

Family: Fabaceae (Legume family)

This native tree is distributed throughout the state, commonly found along fencerows, in open fields, and along streams or river floodplains. Also known as thorny-locust, this long-lived tree is commonly planted as a shade tree (thornless variety) prized for its urban tolerance, filtered shade, and fast growth. Honeylocust is named for the sweet, honey-like substance found in its pods. Flowers are good for pollinators. It can adapt to a wide range of soil types, soil pHs, and moisture levels and is tolerant to many environmental stresses. Several major pests and pathogens such as trunk and root canker, webworms, mites, galls, and borers can cause significant problems to honeylocust, especially when many trees are planted in close proximity to one another, weakening trees after successive years of repeated infestation. Mixed plantings of diverse tree species discourage the rapid spreading of such problems.

Identification

LEAF: About 7-10 inches long, pinnately compound and often bipinnately compound. Leaflets up to 1½ inches long are oval, shiny dark green above and dull yellow-green below. Bipinnate leaves have four to seven pairs of pinnae, each with as many as 28 leaflets.

TWIGS AND BUDS:

Twigs are slender, zigzag, and shiny, greenish-brown to reddish-brown in color, often covered with 2-4 inch branched thorns.

FRUIT OR SEED: Fruit is a flat brown seed pod resembling twisted leather straps, 7–15 inches long, sometimes reaching up to 18 inches in length. Both the pods and the large seeds are consumed by wildlife such as rabbits, deer, squirrels, and birds.

BARK: Dark brown or gray, divided into flat narrow plates. Long thorns can be found on the trunk.

SHAPE: Proportional spread to height.

MATURE HEIGHT: 50-70 feet.

Information credits: Iowa State Extension, Go Botany

Photo credits: Robbin Moran, John Lynch (© 2024 Native Plant Trust), Dick Stiles (© 2024 Native Plant Trust), Glenn Dreyer