Honeylocust

Gleditsia triacanthos L.

Pea family

Plant Type
Tree, Shrub
Life Cycle
Perennial
Mature Height
70.0 feet
Spread
7.9 feet
Flower Color
Yellow
Bloom Time
Late Spring

Growing Conditions

Shade Tolerance Intolerant
Water Use Medium
Clay Soil Yes
Sandy Soil No
Drought Tolerance High
Flood Tolerance None
Fire Tolerance Medium
Salt Tolerance Medium
pH Range 4.8 – 8.0

Ecosystem & Wildlife

Pollinators Native Bees; Bombus; Honey Bees; Beetles, Wasps, Flies; Moths; Butterflies; Larval Host (Butterfly); Larval Host (Moth)
Larval Host Agonopterix robiniella, Amyelois transitella, Antheraea polyphemus polyphemus, Automeris io io, Catocala illecta, Catocala innubens, Catocala minuta, Datana ministra, Eacles imperialis imperialis, Epargyreus clarus, Erannis tiliaria, Halysidota tessellaris, Heliomata cycladata, Hemileuca burnsi, Hemileuca juno, Hemileuca tricolor, Heteropacha rileyana, Homadaula anisocentra, Hyalophora cecropia, Hyphantria cunae, Lophocampa maculata, Lymantria dispar, Mellilla xanthometata, Nephopterix subcaesiella, Nephopterix virgatella, Orgyia leucostigma, Paleacrita vernata, Pandemis lamprosana, Peridroma saucia, Periploca gleditschiaeella, Phtheochroa leguminana, Schizura ipomoeae, Schizura unicornis, Semiothisa ocellinata, Semiothisa snoviata, Sparganothis sulfureana, Spiloloma lunilinea, Syssphinx bicolor, Syssphinx bisecta, Syssphinx blanchardi, Syssphinx helligbrodti, Syssphinx hubbardi, Thorybes ephemeraeformis, Tiascala reductella, Uresiphita reversalis, Zale undularis
Fall Color Yes
Evergreen No

Native Range

  • USA:  Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode I., South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
  • MEX:  Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest

Regional Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)

State-level native status is based on data available through Plants of the World Online. Regional Native Status comes from the USDA Plants Database. For more detailed native status information, please refer to BONAP.

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