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Honey Locust

Gleditsia triacanthos

Honey locust casts light, dappled shade through ferny compound leaves, with fragrant spring flowers and long sweet seed pods relished by wildlife. Extremely tough on poor, dry, or alkaline urban soils; wild trees bear formidable thorns.

Family
Fabaceae
Type
tree
Lifespan
perennial
Height
50–70 ft
Spacing
40–60 ft apart
Light
sun
Soil moisture
moist, dry
Soil pH
neutral, alkaline, acidic
Bloom
May, June
Bloom colors
green, yellow
Wildlife value
pollinators, songbirds, larval host, mammals
Caterpillar hosts
~46 butterfly & moth species
Landscape uses
specimen
Native states
AL, AR, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV