Gleditsia triacanthos
Description: A large deciduous tree that can grow up to 100 feet tall, the Thornless Locust features an open, spreading crown. It is shade intolerant, preferring full sun for optimal growth.
Twig/Bark: The bark is initially smooth and reddish-brown, gradually darkening to gray and developing deep fissures that form long, flat, peeling ridges. Twigs are stout, shiny, and zig-zagged in shape, ranging from greenish to reddish-brown.
Leaves: The tree’s leaves are compound, consisting of 14-24 leaflets on even-pinnately compound blades. For bipinnately compound leaves, each primary segment contains 4-16 sections, with each section having 10-20 leaflets. The leaflets are narrowly ovate or elliptic, with dark green, glossy upper surfaces and yellowish-green undersides. In fall, the leaves turn a vibrant yellow.
Flowers/Fruit: In late spring to early summer, the tree produces small, greenish-yellow flowers. In fall, the fruit appears as flattened, often twisted legumes that are reddish-brown to black.
Habitat and Growing Conditions: The Thornless Locust is highly adaptable, thriving in a wide range of habitats, including dry to mesic upland forests, bottomland and riparian forests, swamps, stream banks, old fields, prairies, and disturbed areas. It is well-suited to both natural and disturbed environments.