honey locust Gleditsia triacanthos Kingdom: Plantae FEATURES Division: Magnoliophyta Honey locust is a deciduous tree that may attain a Class: Magnoliopsida height of 70 feet. Its trunk is covered with large, Order: Fabales purple-brown, three-parted thorns. The trunk diameter may be as much as three feet. The bark is Family: Caesalpiniaceae dark brown, deeply furrowed and scaly. The ILLINOIS STATUS compound leaves are arranged alternately along the branches and are often doubly pinnately compound. common, native The oblong leaflets are toothed. Each leaflet may be one and one-half inches long and about three- fourths inch wide. Flowers may have both stamens and pistils or only one or the other. Flowers are produced at the stem tip in clusters that may be three inches long. These small flowers are green- yellow. The fruits are flat pods that may be one and one-half feet long and two inches wide. Purple- brown in color, the pods are often twisted. Each pod contains seeds in a thick pulp.

BEHAVIORS Honey locust may be found statewide in Illinois, but it more commonly occurs in the southern one-half of the state. It grows in wood edges, thickets and along roads. Flowers are produced from May tree through June. The wood of this tree is used for fence posts, coarse construction and railroad ties. Wildlife ILLINOIS RANGE eat the fruits. thorns

© Illinois Department of Natural Resources. 2016. Biodiversity of Illinois. Unless otherwise noted, photos and images © Illinois Department of Natural Resources. thorns and leaves

bark flowers

pods

lumber sample

Aquatic Habitats none

Woodland Habitats none

Prairie and Edge Habitats edge

© Illinois Department of Natural Resources. 2016. Biodiversity of Illinois. Unless otherwise noted, photos and images © Illinois Department of Natural Resources.