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Associations

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In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / gall
larva of Dasineura gleditschiae causes gall of live leaf of Gleditsia triacanthos

Foodplant / saprobe
fruitbody of Pholiota squarrosa is saprobic on relatively freshly cut, white rotted stump of Gleditsia triacanthos

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Comments

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The Honey Locust is planted as an ornamental and hedge plant. The pods are reputed to contain 29% sugar and are readily eaten by animals. Wood is durable.
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Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
bibliographic citation
Flora of Pakistan Vol. 0 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
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Flora of Pakistan @ eFloras.org
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S. I. Ali & M. Qaiser
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Description

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A large deciduous polygamous tree, provided with tufts of branched thorns. Leaves uni or bipinnate, rachis 12.5-17.5 cm long, leaflets 12-15 pairs, 1.7-2.5 cm long, opposite or alternate, oblong, crenulate. Raceme 5 cm long. Flowers 5 mm long, greenish. Pods up to 50 cm or more long, 3.7 cm wide, stipe 1.2 cm long, curved or straight, flat, seeds elliptic, embedded in pulp.
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Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
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Flora of Pakistan Vol. 0 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
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Flora of Pakistan @ eFloras.org
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S. I. Ali & M. Qaiser
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Distribution

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Distribution: It is a native of United States, cultivated in the gardens of Punjab.
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Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
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Flora of Pakistan Vol. 0 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
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Flora of Pakistan @ eFloras.org
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Flower/Fruit

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Fl. Per.: April.
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Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
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Flora of Pakistan Vol. 0 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
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Flora of Pakistan @ eFloras.org
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S. I. Ali & M. Qaiser
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Common Names

provided by Fire Effects Information System Plants
More info for the terms: natural, tree

honeylocust
common honeylocust
honey shucks locust
sweet bean locust


TAXONOMY:
The currently accepted scientific name for honeylocust is Gleditsia
triacanthos L. (Cesalpiniaceae) [11,14,16,27,42]. Thornless
honeylocust (G. t. forma inermis Schneid.) is occasionally found wild
[27,42].

Natural hybridization between honeylocust and water-locust (G.
aquatica) has been reported [27].


LIFE FORM:
Tree

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS:
No special status

OTHER STATUS:
NO-ENTRY





DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Gleditsia triacanthos
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION:
The natural range of honeylocust extends from central Pennsylvania
through extreme southern Ontario, extreme southern Michigan, southern
Wisconsin, and extreme southeastern Minnesota to extreme southeastern
South Dakota; south through eastern Nebraska to eastern Texas; east to
Alabama; and northeast along the western slopes of the Appalachians.
Isolated populations occur in northwestern Florida. Honeylocust is
naturalized east of the Appalachians as far north as Nova Scotia [16,27].
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bibliographic citation
Sullivan, Janet. 1994. Gleditsia triacanthos. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Distribution

provided by Fire Effects Information System Plants
More info for the terms: forest, natural

The natural range of honeylocust extends from central Pennsylvania
through extreme southern Ontario, extreme southern Michigan, southern
Wisconsin, and extreme southeastern Minnesota to extreme southeastern
South Dakota; south through eastern Nebraska to eastern Texas; east to
Alabama; and northeast along the western slopes of the Appalachians.
Isolated populations occur in northwestern Florida. Honeylocust is
naturalized east of the Appalachians as far north as Nova Scotia [16,27].



Honeylocust distribution. 1971 USDA, Forest Service map provided by Thompson and others [46].

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Sullivan, Janet. 1994. Gleditsia triacanthos. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Key Plant Community Associations

provided by Fire Effects Information System Plants
More info for the terms: cover, forest, natural

Honeylocust is usually only a minor component of natural forest stands.
It is considered an accessory species in four SAF cover types: bur oak
(Quercus macrocarpa), willow oak (Q. phellos)-water oak (Q.
nigra)-diamondleaf (laurel) oak (Q. laurifolia), sweetgum (Liquidambar
styraciflua)-willow oak, and sugarberry (Celtis laevigata)-American elm
(Ulmus americana). Honeylocust is a secondary species in all other SAF
cover types listed above [8,17].

Mesophytic species commonly associated with honeylocust include red
maple (Acer rubrum), persimmon (Diospyros virginiana), black tupelo
(Nyssa sylvatica), sweet pecan (Carya illinoensis), boxelder (Acer
negundo), Kentucky coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioica), and black walnut
(Juglans nigra) [8].
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Sullivan, Janet. 1994. Gleditsia triacanthos. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Life Form

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More info for the term: tree

Tree
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Sullivan, Janet. 1994. Gleditsia triacanthos. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Management considerations

provided by Fire Effects Information System Plants
More info for the term: tussock

Rows of honeylocust planted for windbreaks showed a positive response
to release [9].

In some areas honeylocust invades rangelands. Honeylocust is
susceptible to triclopyr and to a mixture of picloram and 2,4,-D [29].

Honeylocust is not usually subject to serious insect and disease
problems; however, with the increase in plantations of honeylocust,
there has been a concomitant increase in insect pests. Honeylocust is
host to a number of leaf feeders including spider mites, white marked
tussock moth, and honeylocust plant bug. The only serious disease of
honeylocust is a canker which is occasionally fatal [8].

Damage to young honeylocust is caused by rabbits gnawing the bark [8]
and by livestock and white-tailed deer browsing [8,36].
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Sullivan, Janet. 1994. Gleditsia triacanthos. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Phenology

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More info on this topic.

More info for the term: tree

Honeylocust begins to flower when its leaves are nearly full grown,
from around May 10 in the southern parts of its range to around June 25
in the northern parts of its range [8,42]. The legumes ripen from
September to October, usually falling after ripening but sometimes
remaining on the tree through February [8,16,39,42].
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bibliographic citation
Sullivan, Janet. 1994. Gleditsia triacanthos. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Post-fire Regeneration

provided by Fire Effects Information System Plants
Tree with adventitious-bud root crown/soboliferous species root sucker
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Sullivan, Janet. 1994. Gleditsia triacanthos. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Taxonomy

provided by Fire Effects Information System Plants
More info for the term: natural

The currently accepted scientific name for honeylocust is Gleditsia
triacanthos L. (Cesalpiniaceae) [11,14,16,27,42]. Thornless
honeylocust (G. t. forma inermis Schneid.) is occasionally found wild
[27,42].

Natural hybridization between honeylocust and water-locust (G.
aquatica) has been reported [27].
license
cc-publicdomain
bibliographic citation
Sullivan, Janet. 1994. Gleditsia triacanthos. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Derivation of specific name

provided by Flora of Zimbabwe
triacanthos: 3-spined
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Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings
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Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and Ballings, P. (2002-2014). Gleditsia triacanthos L. Flora of Zimbabwe website. Accessed 28 August 2014 at http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=127160
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Mark Hyde
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Bart Wursten
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Petra Ballings
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Description

provided by Flora of Zimbabwe
Shrub or small tree, armed with stout 3-forked spines, grown as a garden ornamental and known as a very occasional naturalized escape. Bark fairly smooth but splitting into vertical fissures on older stems. Leaves variably pinnate or 2-pinnate, even on the same branch, with a single pair of pinnae; leaflets 8-13 pairs per pinna, opposite, oblong-elliptic, up to 3.5 cm long, glossy green; margin finely scalloped. Flowers in axillary heads, unisexual on different trees, small, green. Fruit a flat woody pod, 15-30 cm long, often twisted when older, indehiscent.
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Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and Ballings, P. (2002-2014). Gleditsia triacanthos L. Flora of Zimbabwe website. Accessed 28 August 2014 at http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=127160
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Mark Hyde
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Bart Wursten
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Petra Ballings
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Worldwide distribution

provided by Flora of Zimbabwe
North America.
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Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and Ballings, P. (2002-2014). Gleditsia triacanthos L. Flora of Zimbabwe website. Accessed 28 August 2014 at http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=127160
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Bart Wursten
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Petra Ballings
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Comprehensive Description

provided by North American Flora
Gleditsia triacanthos L. Sp. PI. 1056. 1753
Gleditsia spinosa Marsh, Arbust. Am. 54. 1785.
Gleditsia meliloba Walt. Fl. Car. 254. 1788.
Gleditsia elegans SaXish. Viodi. i22. 19b.
Gleditsia triacanthos brachycarpos Michx. Fl. Bor. Am. 2; 257. 1803.
Gleditsia ferox Desf. Hist. Arb. 2: 247. 1809.
Gleditsia polysperma Stokes, Bot. Mat. Med. 1: 228. 1812,
Gleditsia brachycarpa Pursh, Fl. Am. Sept. 221. 1814.
Gleditsia heterophylla Raf. Fl. Ludov. 99. 1817.
Melilobus heterophylla Raf. Sylva Tell. 121. 1838.
Caesalpinioides triacanthum Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 167. 1891.
A tree, up to about 50 m. high, with a trunk 2 m. in diameter, usually armed with many branching or simple thorns. Leaves 1-2-pirmate; leaflets oblong-lanceolate to oval, obtuse, 15-3 cm. long, crenulate; racemes 7-12 cm. long, those of pistillate trees longer than those of staminate; calyx-lobes 4-5 mm. long, the petals a little longer; legume 0.7-4 dm. long, 2.5-3.5 cm. wide, more or less twisted in age, pubescent or glabrate, sweet-pulpy within, edible; seeds numerous or few, about S mm. long.
Type locality: Virginia.
Distribution: Ontari to Michigan, Georgia and Texas.
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Nathaniel Lord Britton and Joseph Nelson Rose. 1928. (ROSALES); MIMOSACEAE. North American flora. vol 23(1). New York Botanical Garden, New York, NY
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Associated Forest Cover

provided by Silvics of North America
Throughout its range, honeylocust generally occurs only as a minor component of natural forest stands. It is included in four forest cover types in the United States (19). It is an associated species on lowland sites in Bur Oak (Society of American Foresters Type 42), especially in the more southerly portions of the type range, and in Willow Oak-Water Oak-Diamondleaf Oak (Type 88). It is a minor associate in Sweetgum-Willow Oak (Type 92) and Sugarberry-American Elm-Green Ash (Type 93). Mesophytic species commonly associated with honeylocust include red maple (Acer rubrum), persimmon (Diospyros virginiana), blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica), pecan (Carya illinoensis), boxelder (Acer negundo), Kentucky coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus), black walnut (Juglans nigra), oaks (Quercus spp.), elms (Ulmus spp.), ashes (Fraxinus spp.), and hickories (Carya spp.).

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Climate

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In the western portion of its range honeylocust grows in a subhumid climate while in the middle and eastern portions the climate is humid. Normal annual precipitation varies from about 510 mm (20 in) in South Dakota and Texas to more than 1520 mm (60 in) in southern Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Average annual snowfall varies from none to 102 cm (40 in). Length of the growing season varies from about 150 days in the north and northeast to more than 300 days in the southern extremities of the range.

Honeylocust is tolerant of low temperatures and in the north it is hardy at -29° to -34° C (-20° to -30° F) (10). Northern races harden-off and become dormant relatively early, while growth of southern races continues later into the year. Southern races are subject to frost damage when planted in the north (7). Honeylocust also may suffer frost damage or dieback because of its indefinite or indeterminate annual growth pattern (4). Twigs may continue to elongate until stopped by cold, whereupon the tender terminal internodes are killed by the first frosts. New growth in the spring then comes from the lower lateral buds.

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Damaging Agents

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With the increased popularity and plantings of honeylocust, particularly the cultivars of thornless varieties, there has been a corresponding increase in the kinds and numbers of attacking insects. Generally, insect attacks are not fatal but they do weaken the tree and retard growth. Honeylocust is a host of a number of leaf feeders and severe infestations can rapidly defoliate trees. A severe and widely distributed defoliator is the mimosa webworm (Homadaula anisocentra) (1). The search for webworm resistant trees has not been productive (17). Eotetranychus multidigituli, a spider mite common to the midwest, and other mites feed on honeylocust leaves. Heavy infestations, occurring particularly in hot dry weather, will defoliate a tree. The whitemarked tussock moth (Orgyia leucostigma), the honeylocust plant bug (Diaphnocoris chlorionis) (25), the leaf hopper (Empoasca pergandei), and several other species of pod galls, leaf rollers, leaf hoppers, moths, loopers, bagworms, and beetles feed on honeylocust foliage. The walkingstick (Diapheromera femorata) is also included among the many defoliators (21).

Agrilus difficilis, a flatheaded borer, important west of the Mississippi River, burrows beneath the bark and may eventually girdle the trunk or large limbs (18). Several other bark and wood borers attack honeylocust, such as the widely distributed Xyleborus saxeseni.

A number of scale insects, such as the European fruit lecanium (Parthenolecanium corni), which is widespread and particularly damaging to shade trees, and the cottony maple scale (Pulvinaria innumerabilis), injure the bark of honeylocust, especially on small branches, lowering the vitality and growth rate of trees (18). Weakened trees become subject to attack and further damage by various species of boring insects and bark beetles.

The twig girdler, Oncideres cingulata, prunes small branches and can inflict severe injury on nursery seedlings. Heavy infestations can also severely damage large trees. The larvae of Amblycerus robiniae, a bruchid weevil, feed on honeylocust seed (1). The female periodical cicada (Magicicada septendecim) can damage honeylocust, especially young transplanted trees, by depositing eggs in the twigs.

Honeylocust is subject to few diseases, none of which interfere with its growth, except in isolated situations. The most noteworthy disease is the canker Thyronectria austro-americana, which can be fatal. Spiculosa cankers cause loss in merchantable wood volume or cull. Honeylocust is subject to several heart-rot and wood-decay fungi from species of Fomes and Polyporus.

Few leaf diseases attack honeylocust, and none mar the tree. The most widely distributed is tarry leaf spot caused by Linospora gleditsiae (9). In the seedling stage honeylocust is susceptible to cotton root rot (Phymatotrichum omnivorum), which is sometimes fatal (7). In shelterbelt planting tests in Oklahoma and Texas it was ranked as highly susceptible to certain Phymatotrichum root rots (27). Two other root diseases, Ganoderma lucidum and G. curtisii, can cause extensive root rot and tree fatality. The incidence of these root rots is not high.

In the southeast Texas area honeylocust was visibly damaged but not killed by air pollution, presumed to be mainly sulfur dioxide. In Illinois the species was ranked as highly resistant to ice damage and in Tennessee it was rated about average in resistance to flooding damage (9). It also appears to be resistant to salt spray when planted near the coast. Honeylocust is considered to be windfirm, but heavy limb breakage from wind was reported in Kansas. Because of its relatively thin bark it is easily damaged by fire (7). Rabbits sometimes inflict damage by gnawing the bark from young trees during the winter.

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Flowering and Fruiting

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Flowering occurs in late spring, the average date being about May 10 in the southern limit of the range and June 25 in the north (7). Honeylocust leaves are nearly full grown when the flowers are produced, which is usually late enough in the year for the seed crop to escape frost damage.

The species is polygamo-dioecious; flowers are home in axillary, dense, green racemes (24). Racemes of staminate flowers are 5 to 13 em (2 to 5 in) long, pubescent, and often clustered. The calyx is campanulate, with five elliptic-lanceolate lobes; there are four to five petals, erect, oval, and longer than the calyx lobes; and up to 10 stamens, inserted on the calyx tube. The pistil is rudimentary or absent in the staminate flowers. Pistillate racemes are 5 to 8 ern (2 to 3 in) long, slender, with few flowers, and usually solitary. The pistils are tomentose, the ovary nearly sessile, and the style short; there may be two ovules or many. The stamens are much smaller and abortive in pistillate flowers.

Seeds, borne in long (15 to 41 cm, 6 to 16in), flat, indehiscent, and often twisted pods, ripen about mid-September in the southern portion of the range and around mid-October in the north. Soon after fruits mature they begin falling and dissemination often continues into late winter.

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Genetics

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Races and Hybrids The honeylocust has wide genetic variations that have enabled improvement through selection. The northern races show relatively good winter hardiness and southern races bear fruit that is much more nutritious for stock feeding than that found on the trees in the north (6).

A number of horticultural forms have been developed and are widely cultivated, especially for shade and as ornamentals (24). Thornless honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis Willd.) is thornless, or nearly so, and slender in habit; bushy honeylocust (G. triacanthos var. elegantissima [Grosdemangel Rehd.) is unarmed and densely bushy; Bujot honeylocust (G. triacanthos var. bujotii [Neuml Rehd.) has slender pendulous branches and narrow leaflets; and dwarf honeylocust (G. triacanthos var. nana [Loud.] A. Henry) is a small compact shrub or tree. Selected cultivars of the thornless forms have been patented. About 60 percent of the seedlings grown from thornless honeylocust seed are thornless (7).

Gleditsia x texana Sarg., the Texas honeylocust, is considered to be a hybrid of G. aquatica Marsh. and G. triacanthos L. (24). Its range is largely restricted to the Brazos River bottoms in Texas, with additional trees found along the Red River in Louisiana and occasionally along the Mississippi River in Indiana and Mississippi.

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Growth and Yield

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In natural stands honeylocust attains a height of 21 to 24 m (70 to 80 ft) and a d.b.h. of 61 to 91 cm. (24 to 36 in). On the best sites, trees may be 43 m (140 ft) in height and 152 to 183 cm (60 to 72 in) in d.b.h. On poor sites trees are stunted, wide-branched, and often covered with thorns. In eastern Nebraska, 18- to 35year-old honeylocust in plantations grew an average of 4.6 cm (1.8 in) in diameter each 10 years.

The average height growth of honeylocust planted in shelterbelts from North Dakota to Texas was 49 cm (19.2 in) per year during the first 7 years (7). This was a slower height growth than for plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides var. occidentalis) and Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila) but faster than that of American elm (U. americana), green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), or hackberry (Celtis laevigata), all of which were frequently planted on the same shelterbelt projects. Under favorable conditions the annual diameter growth of young honeylocust is from 8 to 13 mm (0.33 to 0.50 in) (22). The species is an excellent tree for windbreaks.

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Reaction to Competition

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Honeylocust is classed as intolerant of shade, and reproduction becomes established only beneath openings in the forest canopy (5). Both top and root growth are retarded where young trees are subjected to shade; therefore, for survival and optimum development, honeylocust must maintain a dominant position in the forest community. Lower limbs of forest-grown trees die when they are excessively shaded from the

sides, and the dead limbs often are retained for some time.

Honeylocust is occasionally a pioneer on midwest strip-mine spoil banks. It is also a pioneer in rocky limestone glades of Tennessee and Kentucky, where it is often succeeded by eastern redcedar (Juniperus uirginiana). In northern Ohio, honeylocust was found with shellbark hickory (Carya laciniosa) and bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) in the elm-ash-soft maple association on areas that formerly were swampy (7).

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Rooting Habit

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Honeylocust is deep rooted with a widely spreading and profusely branched root system and a strong taproot. Deep soils are penetrated as far as 3 to 6 m (10 to 20 ft). The root system is responsive to environmental conditions. For example, in a Missouri study, 4- to 6-year-old saplings on upland clay soil produced root systems that were about twice as long, with laterals covering twice the area, as those of older trees growing in lowland alluvial soil where the water table was higher (7). The generalized, well-developed root system enables this species to grow on both upland and lowland sites.

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Seed Production and Dissemination

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Honeylocust begins bearing seed at about 10 years of age, optimum production occurring between 25 and 75 years. Trees continue to bear fruit up to about 100 years of age (7). They generally bear fruit each year and produce abundant seed crops every year or two.

Honeylocust seeds, like those of many leguminous species, have impermeable coats and thus remain viable for long periods of time. Under natural conditions, individual seeds become permeable at different periods following maturation so that any one crop is capable of producing seedlings over a period of several years.

The seeding range or natural dispersal of honeylocust seeds is not extensive. The pods, however, are readily eaten by cattle, whereby seeds are scattered in the feces. Undoubtedly seeds are also disseminated by birds and other mammals that feed on the fruit. Cleaned seeds average about 6,170/kg (2,800/lb), with a commercial purity of 95 percent and a soundness of 98 percent (24). Viability can be retained for several years when seeds are stored in sealed containers at 0° to 7° C (32° to 45° F) (3).

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Seedling Development

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Germination is thought to be enhanced when seeds are eaten and passed undigested by birds and mammals (7). Passage through the digestive system apparently softens the impermeable seedcoat. Enhanced germination can also be achieved by mechanically scarifying the seeds or soaking them in concentrated sulfuric acid or hot water (880 C, 1900 F) for 1 to 2 hours. When hot water is used the water and seeds should be allowed to cool to room temperature or until seeds swell (3). Treated seeds should be sown promptly and not stored. Germination is epigeal.

Honeylocust seedlings show a growth pattern characteristic of deciduous hardwoods with sympodial. growth. Persistent terminal buds are not formed and the shoot tip often dies and falls off (5).

Nursery-grown seedlings from pretreated seeds attain suitable size-30 cm (12 in) or more in height-for field planting in 1 year (3). In southern Michigan, first-year seedlings grown in pots reached a height of 37 cm (14.6 in) by September 21, just before leaf abscission (5). The average root-to-shoot ratio was 2 to 3. Stem growth was slow in the spring but rapid in early summer and fall. Only 60 percent of the height growth was attained by mid-July. In an additional study in southern Michigan, nursery seedlings grown 3 years in pots and nearly two growing seasons outplanted in the field averaged 22 mm (0.9 in) in trunk diameter (16) by early autumn. The following year trunk diameter increased 4 min (0.15 in).

Dormant nursery-grown seedlings can be stored, barerooted, at about 0° C (32° F) for several weeks before outplanting with no appreciable loss in survival rate (15).

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Soils and Topography

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Honeylocust is found most commonly on soils in the orders Alfisols, Inceptisols, and Mollisols that originate from limestone or the rich alluvial floodplains of major rivers and streams. Growth is poor on gravelly or heavy clay soils and honeylocust often fails on shallow soils. Although ample soil moisture is necessary for best growth, the species is very resistant to drought. Because of this, it is a valuable species for shelterbelt planting in the Great Plains.

On 20 drought-resistant species of seedlings tested, honeylocust ranked third in alkali tolerance (7). The species is also tolerant of acid soils (26), but best development is usually on soils having a pH between 6.0 and 8.0. From tests incorporating artificially salinized soils, young honeylocusts were found to be tolerant of soil salinity (13). Seed germination was little influenced by as much as 0.20 percent of sodium chloride in the dry weight of soil (2). Salt tolerance has particular economic importance in the North where runoff from highway de-icing salts can damage plantings, and also where plantings are desired on saline soils in and states. Whether honeylocust can tolerate the cumulative effects of salinity over a period of years is still unknown.

Typically, honeylocust is a bottom land species, most commonly found only on moist fertile soils near streams or lakes. Although it is not common anywhere in the Mississippi River Delta, it frequently grows on low clay ridges and flats in first bottoms and on the secondary flood plains along the Missouri River tributaries in Nebraska.

Over its range honeylocust grows naturally below a maximum elevation of 610 to 760 m (2,000 to 2,500 ft), although the general upper elevational. limit for the species is reported as 1520 m (5,000 ft). A 20year-old plantation growing at 2100 m (6,900 ft) in Colorado had "good" survival, but trees averaged only 2.4 m (8 ft) in height (7).

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Special Uses

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Honeylocust fruits are readily eaten by cattle and hogs. The beans of some cultivars contain as much as 12 to 13 percent protein, and the pods contain up to 42 percent carbohydrates (12,20). Livestock also eat the young vegetative growth and both the fruit and plants are eaten by snowshoe hares and cottontails. Fruits are also eaten by gray squirrels, fox squirrels, white-tailed deer, bobwhite, starlings, crows, and opossum (7,8). Honeylocust is a source of honey during the short flowering period in spring.

Both the common honeylocust and its thornless varieties are planted for erosion control and for wind breaks; the thornless varieties are widely planted as shade and ornamental trees. In many urban areas thornless honeylocust has been planted as a replacement for the American elm (26).

The wood of honeylocust possesses many desirable qualities but is little used because of its scarcity (23).

The sapwood is generally wide and yellowish in contrast to the reddish-brown heartwood, providing an attractive grain. The wood is dense, very heavy, very hard, strong in bending, stiff, resistant to shock, and is durable when in contact with soil. It is used locally for fence posts, and also as lumber for pallets, crating, and general construction.

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Vegetative Reproduction

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Honeylocust coppices freely. Propagation, particularly of high quality clonal stock, can be achieved by grafting, budding, and cuttings from hardwood, softwood, and roots (7). Root cuttings appear to be the best method of reproducing desirable strains in large quantities at reasonable cost. At times other species or varieties are grafted onto the rootstock of honeylocust (24).

Honeylocust thorn production usually diminishes gradually and finally ceases in the upper and outer crown growth as the tree ages. Thorns may still be produced on the lower trunk and on lower-trunk and limb sprouts. Typical trees, 10 years old or more, show a definite thornless region in the upper and outer shoot growth. When hardwood cuttings for propagation are taken from this thornless area, the scions generally remain thornless (6). Tree breeders can control the sex of scions from honeylocust by selecting unisexual budwood when taking cuttings. Certain branches bear only one type of flower, and trees from cuttings from those branches will bear only that type (14).

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Distribution

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Honeylocust is found scattered in the East-Central United States from central Pennsylvania westward to southeastern South Dakota, south to central and southeastern Texas, east to southern Alabama, then northeasterly through Alabama to western Maryland. Outlying populations of the species may be found in northwestern Florida, west Texas, and west-central Oklahoma. It is naturalized east to the Appalachian Mountains from South Carolina north to Pennsylvania, New York, and New England (11). Honeylocust attains its maximum development in the valleys of small streams in southern Indiana and Illinois.


-The native range of honey locust.


Honeylocust, especially the thornless form, is widely cultivated as an ornamental and shade tree in all countries having a temperate climate.

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Brief Summary

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Leguminosae -- Legume family

Robert M. Blair

Honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos), also called sweet-locust or thorny-locust, is a moderately fast growing tree commonly found on moist bottom lands or limestone soils. Because it has proven very hardy and tolerant of drought and salinity, it is widely planted for windbreaks and soil erosion control. The thornless variety has been planted to replace the elm in many urban areas. The wood is dense, hard, and durable but used only locally. Honeylocust pods are sweet and eaten by livestock and wildlife. The tree is relatively short lived, reaching the age of 125 years.

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Physical Description

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Perennial, Trees, Woody throughout, Stems erect or ascending, Stems greater than 2 m tall, Trunk or stems armed with thorns, spines or prickles, Stems solid, Stems or young twigs glabrous or sparsely glabrate, Leaves alternate, Leaves clustered on spurs or fasicles, Leaves petiolate, Stipules inconspicuous, absent, or caducous, Leaves compound, Leaves odd pinnate, Leaves even pinnate, Leaves bipinnate, Leaf or leaflet margins entire, Leaflets dentate or denticulate, Leaflets alternate or subopposite, Leaflets 10-many, Leaves glabrous or nearly so, Leaves hairy on one or both surfaces, Inflorescences racemes, Inflorescences spikes or spike-like, Inflorescence ament-like, Infloresce nce axillary, Bracts very small, absent or caducous, Flowers actinomorphic or somewhat irregular, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx glabrous, Petals separate, Petals white, Petals greenish yellow, Imperfect flowers present, dioecious or polygamodioecious, Fertile stamens 6-8, Stamens completely free, separate, Stamens long exserted, Filaments hairy, villous, Style terete, Fruit a legume, Fruit stipitate, Fruit unilocular, Fruit tardily or weakly dehiscent, Fruit indehiscent, Fruit elongate, straight, Fruit twisted, Fruit or valves persistent on stem, Fruit fleshy, Fruit coriaceous or becoming woody, Fruit exserted from calyx, Fruit glabrous or glabrate, Fruit 3-10 seeded, Fruit 11-many seeded, Seeds embedded in gummy or spongy pulp, Seeds ovoid to rounded in outline, Seed surface smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black.
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Honey locust

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The honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos), also known as the thorny locust or thorny honeylocust, is a deciduous tree in the family Fabaceae, native to central North America where it is mostly found in the moist soil of river valleys.[3] Honey locust is highly adaptable to different environments, has been introduced worldwide, and can be an aggressive, invasive species outside of its native range.[3]

Description

The honey locust, Gleditsia triacanthos, can reach a height of 20–30 m (65–100 ft). They exhibit fast growth, but live a medium life span of about 120 years.[4] The leaves are pinnately compound on older trees but bipinnately compound on vigorous young trees.[3] The leaflets are 1.5–2.5 cm (12–1 in) (smaller on bipinnate leaves) and bright green. They turn yellow in the autumn. Honey locusts leaf out relatively late in spring, but generally slightly earlier than the black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia). The strongly scented, cream-colored flowers appear in late spring, in clusters emerging from the base of the leaf axils. The trees are polygamodioecious: most are strictly dioecious with male and female flowers on separate trees though some have bisexual flowers with a few male or female flowers on the same tree.[5]

The fruit of the honey locust is a flat legume (pod) that matures in early autumn.[3] The pods are generally between 15–20 cm (6–8 in). The seeds are dispersed by grazing herbivores such as cattle and horses, which eat the pod pulp and excrete the seeds in droppings; the animal's digestive system assists in breaking down the hard seed coat, making germination easier. In addition, the seeds are released in the host's manure, providing fertilizer for them. Honey locust seed pods ripen in late spring and germinate rapidly when temperatures are warm enough.

Honey locusts commonly have thorns 3–10 cm (1–4 in) long growing out of the branches, some reaching lengths over 20 cm (8 in); these may be single, or branched into several points, and commonly form dense clusters.[3] The thorns are fairly soft and green when young, harden and turn red as they age, then fade to ash grey and turn brittle when mature. These thorns are thought to have evolved to protect the trees from browsing Pleistocene megafauna, which may also have been involved in seed dispersal,[6] but the size and spacing of them is less useful in defending against smaller extant herbivores such as deer. Thornless forms (Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis) are occasionally found growing wild and are available as nursery plants.[3] Hybridization of honey locust with water locust (G. aquatica) has been reported.[7][8]

Cultivation and history

Its cultivars are popular ornamental plants, especially in the northern plains of North America where few other trees can survive and prosper. It tolerates urban conditions, compacted soil, road salt, alkaline soil, heat, and drought. The popularity is in part due to the fact that it transplants so easily. The fast growth rate and tolerance of poor site conditions make it valued in areas where shade is wanted quickly, such as new parks or housing developments, and in disturbed and reclaimed environments, such as mine tailings. Cultivars with narrow upright growth habit, such as Northern Sentinel, are especially prized as street trees. It is resistant to spongy moths but is defoliated by another pest, the mimosa webworm. Spider mites, cankers, and galls are a problem with some trees. Many cultivated varieties do not have thorns.

Agriculture

The species is a major invasive environmental and economic weed in agricultural regions of Australia. The plant forms thickets and destroys the pasture required for livestock to survive. The thickets choke waterways and prevent both domestic and native animals from drinking and also harbour vermin. The spines cause damage to both people and domestic and native wildlife and puncture vehicle tires.[9][10] In much of the Midwest of the United States the honey locust is also considered a weed tree and a pest that establishes itself in farm fields.[11] In other regions of the world, ranchers and farmers who employ monocropping deem honey locust a nuisance weed; its fast growth allows it to out-compete grasses and other crops.

Uses

Food

Unripe honey locust pods

The pulp on the inside of the pods is edible[12] (unlike the black locust, which is toxic)[13] and consumed by wildlife and livestock.[12]

Despite its name, the honey locust is not a significant honey plant.[3] The name derives from the sweet taste of the legume pulp, which was used for food and traditional medicine by Native American people, and can also be used to make tea.[3] The long pods, which eventually dry and ripen to brown or maroon, are surrounded in a tough, leathery skin that adheres strongly to the pulp within. The pulp—bright green in unripe pods—is strongly sweet, crisp and succulent in ripe pods. Dark brown tannin-rich beans are found in slots within the pulp. Likewise, its edible seed has nutritional potential, and the flour made from its cotyledons constitutes a food source with various potential uses for pastry and bakery, among other gastronomic uses.[14]

Timber

Gleditsia triacanthos

Honey locusts produce a high quality, durable wood that polishes well, but the tree does not grow in sufficient numbers to support a bulk industry. However, a niche market exists for honey locust furniture. It is also used for posts and rails because of the dense, rot-resistant nature of the wood. In the past, the hard thorns of the younger trees were used as nails and the wood itself was used to fashion treenails for shipbuilding.

Nitrogen fixation

The ability of Gleditsia to fix nitrogen is disputed. Many scientific sources[15][16][17] state that Gleditsia does not fix nitrogen. Some support this statement with the fact that Gleditsia does not form root nodules with symbiotic bacteria, the assumption being that without nodulation, no nitrogen fixation can occur. In contrast, many popular sources, permaculture publications in particular, claim that Gleditsia does fix nitrogen but by some other mechanism.

There are anatomical, ecological, and taxonomic indications of nitrogen fixation in non-nodulating legumes.[18] Both nodulating and non-nodulating species have been observed to grow well in nitrogen-poor soil with non-nodulating legumes even dominating some sites. The litter and seeds of non-nodulating species contain levels of nitrogen higher than non-legumes and sometimes even higher than nodulating legumes growing on the same site.[19] How this happens is not yet well understood but there have been some observations of nitrogenase activity in non-nodulating leguminous plants, including honey locust.[18] Electron microscopy indicates the presence of clusters around the inner cortex of roots, just outside the xylem, that resemble colonies of rhizobial bacterioids.[18] These may well constitute the evolutionary precursors in legumes for nitrogen fixation through nodulation. It is not known whether the non-nodulating nitrogen fixation, if it exists, benefits neighboring plants as is said to be the case with nodulating legumes.

Research

In research using databases, more than 60 phytochemicals were identified from honey locust, including polyphenols, triterpenes, sterols, and saponins, with in vitro studies assessing for possible biological activity.[20]

References

  1. ^ Stritch, L. (2018). "Gleditsia triacanthos". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T62026061A62026063. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T62026061A62026063.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Gleditsia triacanthos (honey locust)". CABI. 22 November 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  4. ^ Nesom, Guy. "Honey Locust" (PDF). USDA.gov Plant Guide. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  5. ^ "Honey Locust (Gleditisia triacanthos L.)". Towson University Glen Arboretum.
  6. ^ "Honeylocusts and Mastodons". bygl.osu.edu. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  7. ^ Schneck, J. (1904). "Hybridization in the Honey Locust". The Plant World. 7 (10): 252–253. ISSN 0096-8307. JSTOR 43476409.
  8. ^ Sullivan, J. (1994). "Gleditsia triacanthos". U.S. Forest Service. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  9. ^ "Gleditsia triacanthos". Weeds in Australia. Australian Government. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  10. ^ "Gleditsia triacanthos". weeds.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  11. ^ Barlow C. (2001). "Anachronistic fruits and the ghosts who haunt them" (PDF). Arnoldia. 61 (2): 14–21.
  12. ^ a b Little, Elbert L. (1994) [1980]. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Western Region (Chanticleer Press ed.). Knopf. p. 495. ISBN 0394507614.
  13. ^ "Toxicity of Black Locust". www.woodweb.com. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  14. ^ Calfunao Antivil, Rosario (31 December 2011). "Characterization of the technological properties of flour of acacia thorns three (Gleditsia triacanthos L.)". CORE (in Spanish and English). Retrieved 12 January 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ Burton JC. "Nodulation and symbiotic nitrogen fixation by prairie legumes" (PDF). In Zimmerman JH. (ed.). Proceedings, 2nd Midwest Prairie Conference.
  16. ^ Allen ON, Allen EK (1981). The Leguminosae: A Source Book of Characteristics, Uses, and Nodulation. Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press. p. 812. ISBN 978-0-299-08400-4.
  17. ^ Djumaeva D, Lamers JP, Martius C, Khamzina A, Ibragimov N, Vlek PL (2010). "Quantification of symbiotic nitrogen fixation by Elaeagnus angustifolia L. on salt-affected irrigated croplands using two 15N isotopic methods". Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems. 88 (3): 329–339. doi:10.1007/s10705-010-9357-5. S2CID 8129669.
  18. ^ a b c Bryan JA, Berlyn GP, Gordo JC (1996). "Toward a new concept of the evolution of symbiotic nitrogen fixation in the Leguminosae". Plant and Soil. 186 (1): 151–159. doi:10.1007/BF00035069. S2CID 42530237.
  19. ^ Bryan J. (1995). Leguminous trees with edible beans, with indications of a rhizobial symbiosis in non-nodulating legumes (Ph.D.). Yale University. Docket UMI95-41400.
  20. ^ Zhang, J. P.; Tian, X. H.; Yang, Y. X.; Liu, Q. X.; Wang, Q; Chen, L. P.; Li, H. L.; Zhang, W. D. (2016). "Gleditsia species: An ethnomedical, phytochemical and pharmacological review". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 178: 155–71. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2015.11.044. PMID 26643065.
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Honey locust: Brief Summary

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The honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos), also known as the thorny locust or thorny honeylocust, is a deciduous tree in the family Fabaceae, native to central North America where it is mostly found in the moist soil of river valleys. Honey locust is highly adaptable to different environments, has been introduced worldwide, and can be an aggressive, invasive species outside of its native range.

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