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Gleditsia triacanthos

Gleditsia triacanthos

Honey locust, Sweet Locust

Description

Gleditsia triacanthos (honey locust, sweet locust) is found naturally in central North America and is a small, monoicous species in the Fabaceae or legume family. The species is named after Dr Johan Gottlieb Gleditsch, a German professor of botany and Director of the Botanic Garden in Berlin. The characteristic tree has a wide, open crown, which allows a lot of light to penetrate. It is a strong grower, which can reach 20 metres high, with a width of 8 to 10 metres. Gleditsia triacanthos is known for its large, branched thorns, which cover the trunk and branches.

Light-green leaves appear on the honey locust in mid-April and in the summer they are bright green. The leaves are small and feathered. Gleditsia triacanthos blossoms in June with white-green and discrete but highly fragranced racemes of flowers. In the autumn, the leaves are a lovely golden yellow. The pods that appear after the blossom are striking, large and red-brown. The trunk grows typically: the pieces of bark curl on one side and feel hard and sharp. In the winter, the species has a beautiful, characteristic silhouette with broad branches.

Heat, drought, air pollution, road salt and short wet periods are all tolerated well by Gleditsia triacanthos. This makes the tree perfectly suited for use in the urban environment, for example, although the presence of thorns should be taken into account. With a winter hardiness of 5A, the honey locust is an excellent future-proof climate plant. The species is a fantastic bee tree with a high nectar and pollen score of 5. Gleditsia triacanthos makes few demands of the soil, although it does prefer loamy soil with a neutral to acidic pH value. The honey locust loves light and thrives best when positioned in the sun.  

Types of planting

Tree types

standard trees multi-stemmed trees climate trees characteristic trees woodland planting stock

Use

Location

park central reservation large garden cemetery traffic areas, industrial zones bioswale

Pavement

none none open open sealed sealed

Planting concepts

climate planting eco planting solid planting prairie planting

Characteristics

Crown shape

rounded rounded

Crown structure

open open

Height

20 - 25 m

Width

8 - 15 m

Winter hardiness zone

5A - 8B

Aspects

Wind

tolerant to wind

Soil

loess sabulous clay light clay sand loamy soil

Nutrient level

moderately rich in nutrients rich in nutrients

Soil moisture level

dry moist wet

Light requirements

sun

pH range

acidic neutral alkaline

Host plant/forage plant

bees nectar value 5 pollen value 5

Extreme environments

tolerant to salt spray tolerant to dryness tolerates air pollution tolerates heat tolerant to short-term flooding

Get to know Ebben Nurseries

Visit our nurseries with multi-stem trees, climbing trees, trees for avenues and parks characteristic trees and solitary shrubs.

Make an appointment

Place order or further information?

Order this plant? Or would you like further information about Gleditsia triacanthos? Make an appointment for a detailed planting recommendation.
Call +31(0) 485 31 20 21 or email one of our advisors directly.
Our planting advisors

Photos

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Seasonal colours

Gleditsia triacanthos seizoenskleur
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Flowers

Flowers

raceme papilionaceous discrete scented

Flower colour

white-green

Flowering period

June - July

Leaves

Leaf colour

bright green

Leaves

deciduous ovoid crenate dentate pinnate bipinnate composite nitrogen fixing

Autumn colour

yellow

Fruits

Fruit colour

red-brown

Fruits

striking large pod

Bark

Bark colour

grey-black

Bark

slightly furrowed

Twigs

Twig colour

brown-green

Twigs

thorned zigzagging

Root system

Root system

deep extensive highly branched fleshy roots

For and by green professionals

The TreeEbb is a platform for and by green professionals, in which we collect knowledge and experience from the sector and make this available for users. All the details and photos are free to use for non-commercial purposes. Want to share your tree knowledge? Send photographs and additional information to treeebb@ebben.nl

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Geographic location
Winter hardiness zone
OK
Coastal area
OK
Use
Location
OK
Pavement
OK
Host plant/forage plant
OK
Planting concepts
OK
Types of planting
Tree types
OK
Multi-stemmed trees
OK
Crown structure
OK
Crown shape
OK
Topiary on stem
OK
Topiary
OK
Height
m
-
m
OK
Width
m
-
m
OK
Aspects
Wind
OK
Soil
OK
Nutrient level
OK
Soil moisture level
OK
Light requirements
OK
PH range
OK
Extreme environments
OK
Stage of succession
OK
Plant characteristics
Flowering period
January
-
December
OK
Flower colour
OK
Leaf colour
OK
Autumn colour
OK
Fruit colour
OK
Bark colour
OK
Special features
OK
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