540 



The Honey Locusts 



northeastern States. Its maximum height is about 42 meters, with a trunk di- 

 ameter of 1.8 dm. 



The branches are spreading or somewhat pendulous. The bark is 1.5 to 2 cm. 



thick, deeply fissured into broad ridges, which 

 are roughened by persistent brown scales with 

 upturned edges. The twigs are stout, zigzag, 

 with enlarged nodes, thickened at the tip, 

 nearly smooth, becoming greenish red and 

 shining and finally brown. The spines 

 become 5 to 15 cm. long, simple or branched, 

 stiff, very sharp, long- pointed and red-brown; 

 they are produced by some trees in the greatest 

 profusion, on others they may be entirely 

 wanting. The winter buds are very small, 

 usually several together. The leaves are pin- 

 nate or bipinnate, 1.5 to 2 dm. long; the leaf- 

 stalk is enlarged at the base, flattened and 

 grooved above, 3 to 5 cm. long; there are 9 to 

 14 pairs of leaflets on the pinnate form, or 4 

 to 7 pairs of pinnae on the bipinnate forms; 

 the upper pinnae are the largest, 10 to 12 cm. 

 Fig. 499- - Honey Locust. j^j^g^ ^^e basal ones often reduced to a single 



leaflet; the leaflets are ovate to lanceolate, varying to elliptic, 1.5 to 3 cm. long, 

 blunt at each end, dark green and shining above, yellowish green and sometimes 

 hairy beneath. The flowers appear in May or June, the staminate flowers in short, 

 hairy racemes, with short peduncles; the pistillate are in few-flowered, usually 

 soHtary elongated racemes; the calyx is bell-shaped, unequally lobed, the lobes 

 sharp-pointed and hairy; the petals are greenish, oval to oblong-oval, erect, and 

 longer than the calyx- lobes; stamens 10, exserted, the anthers green; ovary woolly. 

 The fruit is long-Hnear, 20 to 30 cm. long, about 3 cm. wide, flat, somewhat 

 cur\'ed and twisted, brown to purpHsh black and shining, pointed, tapering toward 

 the short-stalked base, the margin thickened, the walls tough, enclosing a sweetish 

 astringent pulp; the numerous seeds are flat, oval, 12 mm. long, hght brown and 

 shining. 



The wood is hard, strong, durable, coarse-grained, reddish brown, its specific 

 gravity about 0.67; it is extensively used for fence posts, wheel hubs, and some- 

 what in general construction. Its rapid growth, graceful foliage, fine form, and 

 freedom from disease or insects, render it a very desirable tree for lawns or parks; 

 its lateness in leafing out, however, makes it of little value for shade. 



