300 



PLANTS AND MAN 



Other cherries have been considered in the chapter dealing 

 with orchard fruits. 



The Locusts 



The LOCUSTS include two closely related genera. The honey 

 LOCUST {Gleditsia) genus is represented by three native species, 

 all of which have alternate and compound leaves. They are 

 borne on stout, zigzag twigs which are armed with very stout, 

 sharp, three-branched thorns. Terminal buds are absent, and 



I 



Fig. 217. — ^The locust has pendant clusters of showy and creamy-white flowers. 



the lateral buds are partly buried in the bark and located just 

 above the leaf scars. As the trees mature, the bark often develops 

 clusters of long, many-branched thorns. The spikelike clusters 

 of flowers are small and greenish white, giving rise to a several 

 seeded pod-like fruit. One commercial species, the honey locust, 

 ranges from the mountains of western Pennsylvania westward 

 to eastern Nebraska, and southward to eastern Texas and the 

 mountains of Alabama and Georgia. It is usually a medium- 

 sized tree, but may reach dimensions of one hundred forty by 

 six feet, with a short trunk and spreading, open crown. This 



