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Mark A. Miller
Fabaceae
Gleditsia triacanthos f. inermis
Thornless Honeylocust
Distinguished by its fine-textured summer leaves and its informal spreading habit, honeylocust is a ubiquitous medium to large deciduous tree native to the central and eastern United States and extreme southern Ontario. Most garden honeylocusts are sterile, non-fruiting selections of the thornless variety Gleditisia triacanthos f. inemris.
The bright green, pinnately compound leaves of this cold-hardy tree cast filtered shade. They flush relatively late in spring and turn dull yellow in autumn. Fallen leaves create relatively little mess. The trunk has gray-brown, shallowly fissured bark, and lacks the formidable spines typical of most honeylocusts. Inconspicuous greenish spring flowers appear in clusters in spring. Fertile forms of this tree bear large flat red-brown seedpods which litter the ground when shed in autumn and winter.
Honeylocust likes sun and is adapted to a wide variety of soil types. Thornless selections make good shade trees, although overuse of this tree has led to increasing insect and disease problems. This tree can self-sow, invasively in areas such as eastern Australia.
9 - 1
3 - 9
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20
Tree
Full Sun
Late Spring
Northeastern United States, Southeastern United States, North-Central United States, Central United States, South-Central United States, Canada
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Well Drained
Loam
Salt
Fast
Average Water
Upright/Erect
Summer
Insignificant
Yellow Green
Red, Brown
Light Green
Green, Light Green, Chartreuse, Dark Green, Yellow Green
Light Yellow
Brown, Sandy Brown, Gray
Yes
No
Single
Fine
Matte
Fissured
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Street Trees
Sometimes
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