Check out the thorns, which may be discovered up and down the trunk, and in addition potently arming the branches. You received’t be inclined to idiot round with these stickers, as they actually imply enterprise. They often are as much as 5 inches lengthy, needle-sharp, and infrequently divided on the base; the species’ scientific identify means “three-spined.”
No different tree in our a part of the world has thorns fairly this dimension, which makes identification very straightforward. These are “true” thorns, in that they include sap-conducting tissues which might be steady with the inside of the tree trunk. (Birders will likely be conversant in the shrike, or “butcher hen,” which makes use of these thorns for impaling prey: a grisly lunch.)
Massive particular person timber could also be practically 80 toes tall, and infrequently with a rounded or flat-topped crown. The bark on an outdated tree will likely be darkish gray, finally splitting into ridges. The leaves are compound and considerably fern-like. Its flowers, that are female and male on the identical tree, often, are greenish and pretty inconspicuous; they seem in late spring.
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Following the flowers, pale inexperienced beans will develop. These beans enlarge dramatically, finally practically 2 inches large and greater than a foot lengthy. The pods flip a good-looking, shiny purple-brown, and virtually at all times curl as they mature. The plump, onerous seeds inside the pod will likely be in a line, their linear association simply seen from the surface.
A lot of the inside of the bean is finally crammed with a moist, aromatic pulp, which is edible. To me, these items usually are not a lot value consuming, however that pulp is form of tasty, sticky and candy. Like cocoa paste. (Is there such a factor?)
Now, I’ll need to inform you that the widespread identify of this tree contains the phrase “honey” — not as a result of it’s good for honey manufacturing, however as a result of the fruits have that candy, tasty pulp. At the least, that’s my concept.
The beans fall from the branches within the winter, typically forming a pile across the base of the tree. These beans are prized by wildlife, together with deer; cattle and hogs prefer to eat them, too. The seeds, as soon as they’ve gone by an animal, will readily sprout, so long as they find yourself in a sunny place. Within the autumn, the foliage turns a pretty, brilliant yellow.
This species is often seen in a lot of the japanese U.S., all through the Mississippi River valley and into Texas. Within the South, it’s most frequently encountered within the piedmont and mountains. It’s really one thing of a pest typically, and has pretty not too long ago been designated as “invasive” in elements of South America and Australia. Right here within the U.S., these timber are sometimes planted, as they kind good windscreens, and are fairly hardy, affected by few pests or ailments.
In addition they make an excellent shade tree for metropolis streets, however then there are these nasty thorns. Nicely, it seems {that a} thornless selection is out there. Which is sweet if you need a treehouse.
Reply: “Honey locust,” Gleditsia triacanthos.
John Nelson is the retired curator of the A.C. Moore Herbarium on the College of South Carolina in Columbia. As a public service, the herbarium provides free plant identifications. For extra info, go to herbarium.org, name (803) 777-8196 or electronic mail nelson@sc.edu.