HONEY LOCUST. 321) 



Genus 



Gleditsia triacanthos. Honey I/ocust. Threethorn 

 Acacia. Black Locust. 



Leaves evenly once or twice pinnately compound; thorns 

 very stout, from two to twelve inches in length, and usually 

 sending out two thorns as branches; but in some sections, 

 notably in Iowa, many trees may be found without thorns, and 

 these are especially desirable for windbreaks. Flowers in June, 

 polygamous, greenish and inconspicuous in small spike-like 

 axillary racemes. Fruit a flat, linear, dark-colored pod, often 

 twelve inches long, which becomes much twisted as the seed 

 ripens. This pod contains a pulp which is sweet at first, but 

 after a few weeks ferments and becomes astringent. The seed 

 ripens in autumn, and the pods fall off in late autumn or early 

 winter. The twisted form of the pods assists in the distribu- 

 tion of the seed, as the pods do not open until some time after 

 they fall, and may be rolled for long distances by the wind over 

 the frozen ground or on the snow. 



Distribution. It inhabits rich woods and borders of streams 

 from western New York, Pennsylvania and Georgia west to 

 southern Ontario, eastern Nebraska, Louisiana and Texas.. 



Propagation. The Honey Locust is easily grown from seeds 

 which should be gathered in late autumn, early winter or as soon 

 as the pods fall. The seeds must be scalded in the same man- 

 ner as recommended for the Common Locust, or they may re- 

 main in the soil a year before growing. 



Properties of wood. Heavy, hard, strong and very durable in 

 contact with the ground. It is coarse grained, of a red or 

 bright reddish brown color, with thin, pale sapwood. Specific 

 gravity 0.6740; weight of a cubic foot 42 pounds. 



Uses. The Honey Locust is a valuable tree for street and 

 ornamental planting, for timber belts, windbreaks and for 

 hedges wherever it is hardy. It has a graceful form, is a rapid 

 grower, easy to transplant, very free from insect and fungous 

 diseases, and not given to sprouting from the root. The wood 

 is used for fence posts and rails, for the hubs of wheels and to 

 some extent for construction. It also makes good fuel. This 

 tree is not generally hardy in Minnesota, though it has stood very 

 well in favorable locations in the southeastern portion of the 

 state, and even at St. Paul has done fairly well where protected, 



