Honeylocust | Arboretum | SIU

This tree is one of the 150 trees initially included in the arboretum to coincide with the campus's 150th anniversary celebration.

Scientific Name:
Gleditsia triacanthos

Cultivar:

Native to:
central North America

Mature Height and Width:
30-70 feet by 30-70 feet

Additional Notes:
Honeylocust grows fast, tolerates unhealthy urban soils, and its delicate leaves are easily cleaned up in the fall.  In many ways, this is an ideal tree for planting around people, except for the massive thorns that grow from the branches and trunk of most honeylocust trees.  While this specimen and all others planted in cities, are deemed “thornless”, small thorns are still produced on the twigs.  However, these are a faint shadow of the massive spikes found on some uncultivated trees that have been known to puncture car tires years after falling from the tree.  While urban varieties are selected for thornlessness, their offspring may still produce thorns.

Photos: