Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos)

About these specimens: It is tough to pass up an opportunity to highlight a stand of Locust trees on Locust Street. These specimens cast dappled shade on the west and south sides of the apartment building, Locust on the Park. Also note how the ten locust trees on the south side of Locust Street side join limbs with those on the north side of the street to form a lovely cathedral arch.

Leaf type: 6 -8” long compound, with 20 to 30 leaflets.

Bark: smooth and shiny reddish-brown, developing into grayish-brown and splitting into large, thick plates with age

Flowers: shaped like pea flowers, greenish yellow to white, in drooping 2” clusters

Fruit: some varieties have thick, twisting, 7 – 18” long bean-like pods that may last into the winter; inside are hard, shiny brown seeds

Average mature size in city: 35 – 70’ tall Origin: eastern and central United States

Other notable features: Inside the pods are hard seeds the size of navy beans surrounded by a sweet pulp. The “honey” in its name refers to this pulp. John the Baptist reportedly sustained himself in the wilderness with pods of the carob or locust tree so when English colonists encountered these trees, they termed them honey locusts. The thorns on honey locust trees have many uses. Confederate soldiers used them to pin together their tattered uniforms – hence their nickname, Confederate “pintree.”