honey locust tree identification

Honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos), also known as thorny locust or thorn tree, is a medium sized tree with pleasing, graceful foliage. The leaves are alternate, and both compound and double compound leaves on the same plant. The leaflets are 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches long, with small widely spaced teeth.

How can you tell a honey locust tree?

Honey locust tree leaves

The leaves on honey locust trees appear slightly earlier than on black locust trees. One way to tell honey locusts apart from black locust trees is that the leaves have no leaflet at the tip. Also, honey locust tree leaves tend to be a lighter shade of green than the “black” variety.

How can you tell a black locust from a honey locust?

Bark and Thorns: The black locust tree has bark of a dark color with a pattern of furrows that look like rope that's intertwined. Honey locust trees, on the other hand, can have brown or gray bark, and you'll see clusters of red-brown thorns among the branches or single thorns lining each stem.

Are honey locust trees valuable?

Since sawlog quality trees are not abundant, the species is not often traded in the wholesale market, but sooner or later, every hardwood sawmill will likely produce some honey locust lumber. For the woodworker looking for something a little different and at a reasonable price, honey locust could be the ticket.

What does honey locust look like?

Color/Appearance: Heartwood is a medium to light reddish brown. Wide sapwood is a light yellow, clearly distinguished from the heartwood. Very similar in appearance to Kentucky Coffeetree.

What is wrong with my honey locust tree?

Cankers and root collar rot are the major diseases of honeylocusts because they can girdle the stem and kill the tree. Canker disease symptoms include sunken, dead areas of bark; dieback; reduced foliage; yellow foliage; premature fall coloration; and early leaf drop.

How do you kill a honey locust tree?

Herbicides -- When applied to a hole drilled in the stump of a recently felled honey locust, the herbicides picloram and triclopyr will quickly and efficiently kill the tree. These herbicides can also be painted onto the bark at the base of young trees to kill them, although this is largely ineffective on older trees.

What is a locust tree good for?

In Hungary, Black Locust is the basis of commercial honey production. The high-density wood is the most rot resistant wood we can grow in our climate, making it an ideal material for fenceposts, hope poles, outdoor furniture, decks, and other projects that require weatherproof materials.

Is a honey locust tree good for firewood?

Honey Locust - Honey locust firewood is excellent for burning. It is a very dense hardwood that puts out a lot of heat and a very long burn. For firewood, it is comparable to black locust as far as heat output. It is a wood that can spark and pop so best to have a closed fireplace or wood stove when burning indoors.

What is the lifespan of a locust tree?

The honey locust, Gleditsia triacanthos, can reach a height of 20–30 m (66–98 ft). They exhibit fast growth, but live a medium-long life span of about 120 years. The leaves are pinnately compound on older trees but bipinnately compound on vigorous young trees.

What is the lifespan of a honey locust tree?

Growth is rapid and trees live to a maximum of about 125 years. The only serious disease of honey-locust is a canker, which is occasionally fatal, but trees in landscape plantings may be damaged by a number of pests and pathogens.

Are honey locust tree roots invasive?

Like many other trees with invasive roots, honey locust suckers grow freely from roots, sending up potential new trees that must be dealt with. Those roots can also pose problems with underground pipes.

Why is it called a honey locust tree?

Description: The Gleditsia triacanthos, or honey locust as its commonly called, is a decidious tree native to the central United States. It blooms relatively late in the spring and produces yellow leaves in autumn. The tree gets its name from the sweet, sticky pulp it produces.

Do honey locust trees bloom?

Honeylocust blooms appear on the tree between May and June, clustered on racemes. The small blooms of the thornless honeylocust are yellow, greenish yellow or greenish white and are not terribly showy. ... Blooms give way to large seed pods which can grow up to 12 inches long or more, but are usually between 6 and 12.

What is killing the locust trees?

Bark beetles and roundheaded borers may bore into black locust tree branches. Bark beetles can cause the outer tips of branches to die, which is a condition called “flagging.” They mine into the branches up to 6 inches from the tip, causing the end of the branch to die. ... They may also attack the trunk of the tree.

How do you take care of a honey locust tree?

Honey locusts have a moderate tolerance for flooding, drought, and other adverse conditions. They thrive in both moist or dry soil. Trees should be watered as soon as they are planted and weekly for the first year. A one-hour trickle that slowly saturates the roots provides adequate water for a new tree.

Are honey locust tree thorns poisonous?

Honey Locust has few significant pests. Canker can sometimes be a problem, but rarely kills the tree. ... Honey locust can produce numerous thorns that are capable of puncturing implement tires. Though not listed as a toxic plant, contact with thorns often results in sore wounds that are slow to heal.

Are locust trees invasive?

Black locusts have invasive traits that enable them to spread aggressively. ... Black locust produces hanging clusters of very fragrant white flowers in spring. This fast-growing native tree can form colonies and has brittle wood.

How do you keep a locust tree from spreading?

One method of honey locust control and black locust control is to cut back the trees every growing season. Cut both new stems and new growth—you likely will need to repeat this step several times over the years. Spreading hay over the area could help prevent new trees from sprouting.

Are honey locust trees fast growing?

This tree grows at a fast rate, with height increases of more than 24" per year.

Are locust borers dangerous to humans?

Locusts do not bite people like mosquitoes or ticks since locusts eat plants. While it is unlikely that locusts would bite, they might nibble on someone without breaking the skin or pinch someone to help defend themselves.

Is black locust harder than oak?

The fuel value of black locust is higher than any other American tree, exceeding even hickory and oak, being almost the equal, per cord at 20 percent moisture content, of a ton of anthracite coal. ... In this region, black locust was highly prized by the Cherokees and early settlers.

What are the worst trees to plant?

Trees known for their rather undesirable qualities, and why you should steer clear of them.

Cottonwood. One of the trees you should avoid having in your backyard is certainly cottonwood. ...
Bradford Pear. ...
Mimosa Tree. ...
Mulberry Tree. ...
Chinese Tallow. ...
Norway Maple. ...
Eucalyptus. ...
Quaking Aspen.