HONEY LOCUST : Gleditsia triacanthos 



HERE is a tree which so much resembles the common 

 Locust in its leaves, fruit, and wood that there should be 

 no wonder that it is called a Locust, yet, botanically speak- 

 ing, it is not a Locust. The prefix " honey " to the common 

 name has, no doubt, been given because of the sweetness 

 of its seed-pods. However incorrect its common name may 

 be, it has come to stay, although it has several others by 

 which it is known. The tree may be readily recognized by 

 the prominent thorns or spines which almost invariably 

 appear on the stem and limbs. These are, probably, abor- 

 tive developments of adventitious buds, sometimes single, 

 but more generally three-forked, hence the botanical desig- 

 nation triacanthos. 



As indicated, its wood closely resembles that of the com- 

 mon Locust, and all efforts to ascertain whether there is 

 any distinction made in the lumber trade have failed. There 

 should be no discrimination made against the Honey Locust, 

 for its wood is quite equal in value to the common Locust 

 for all purposes, and in fact superior to it for some. 



Like the common Locust, its natural range was somewhat 

 restricted, but it has been spread, mainly for ornamental 

 purposes, over a much larger area than it originally occu- 

 pied. Its original home extended from central New York 

 south to Georgia and from the Alleghany Mountains to 

 eastern Kansas and Nebraska, but it may be found as an 

 ornamental tree, or grown for hedges, in almost every state 

 east of central Kansas. While it is very abundant in central 

 Kentucky, its best development is along the rich, moist river 

 bottoms of southern Indiana and Illinois. It thrives best in 

 such situations, yet does fairly well in any moderately fertile 

 soil, if not too wet. It is by no means as exacting or capri- 

 cious in regard to soil or location as the common Locust, 



