Maud Gordon Holmes Arboretum

Scientific name: Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis

Common name: honeylocust

Native: Yes

Native range: The thorned variety is native to and widely distributed across the United States [1,2,3]. The thornless cultivar is distributed across many countries where it is a common feature in plantings and, in some cases, has become naturalized [2,3].

Distribution in North America: Click to view the USDA Plants Database page for G. triacanthos var. inermis.

USDA Zones: 3-8A [3]

Maximum age: Lives to a maximum age of 125 years [4].

Ecology: Though they are now eaten by deer, opposums, raccoons, birds, and small mammals [1,2,4], the leathery, pulpy seed pods once attracted extinct megafauna such as mammoths and giant sloths [6]. Both deer and livestock browse the foliage [1,2,4]. Pollinating insects, including bees, frequent its flowers [1,4]. 

Ethnobotany: The wood is dense and can be a valuable source of building materials [1,2,4]. Indigenous Americans use the seed pulp as a sweetener, and the seeds can be roasted and used as a coffee substitute or ground into flour [1,2,4,5].