25 Honey Locust (Gleditsia Triacanthos) Seeds

Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) Seeds

The honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) is a fast-growing tree. It grows as much as 20 feet in the first 10 years and can eventually grow 70 feet high. Unlike many fast-growing trees, though, the honey locust does not have invasive roots or weak wood. It is a long-lived tree that tolerates wind storms and ice. It also tolerates salt, foot traffic, pollution, and compacted soils.

The tree has attractive gray-brown bark and an open, graceful canopy with tiny, oval leaves. Unlike large-leaved trees, the lacey leaves of honey locusts allow sunlight to filter to the ground below so grass and plants can grow. The fruit of the honey locust is a pod, which has edible pulp on the inside.

In the fall, the leaves turn yellow. Because of their size, honey locust leaves are difficult to rake up, but they tend to dry up and blow away on their own eventually, although they can get tracked into the house if the tree is planted near an entryway.