Honey locust seed

LATIN NAME: Gleditsia triacanthos

COMMON NAME: Honey Locust

The honey locust is the tree that the open country planted for shade, for feed and for fence posts. The tall, open, deciduous tree carries the fine, airy, twice-compound leaves and the small, greenish flowers, to be followed by the long, twisted, dark-brown pods with the sweet pulp, and the strong branches carry the stout, branched thorns. The tree is one of the great, tough trees of the open country, giving the light shade of the park, the street and the pasture. It is a tree of the open, sunny, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The honey locust is a tough, thorny figure in the plant science, studied for the fine, airy leaves and the way the tree stands the heat and the poor ground. The breeding of the thornless forms for the streets and the parks has been studied at length, and it keeps showing up in the work on the street trees, the nitrogen-fixing trees and the members of the pea family. The long, twisted pods and the open, airy habit have also made it a fine garden tree, and the honey locust is a regular subject of the studies of the great tough trees of the open country.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The honey locust is a tall, thorny tree of the open ground, with a fine record of hard use. The long, twisted pods carry the sweet pulp, which has a long record as the feed of the stock of the open country, and the hard, durable wood is cut for the fence posts, the rails and the small works of the farm. The tree gives the light, dappled shade of the park, the street and the pasture, and the thornless forms are planted along the avenues of the warm world. It has been written up in the forestry and the horticultural papers for the sweet pods, the hard wood and the tough, open ways, and it is a fine, long-lived tree of the open, sunny, well-drained garden.

The honey locust is one of the great tough trees of the open country, and the long, twisted pods carry the sweet pulp of the old feed lots. The hard, durable wood is cut for the fence posts and the rails of the farm.

To grow the honey locust from seed, drop the hard, glossy seeds into a cup of hot water and leave them to cool, then sow them a centimetre deep in pots of moist, free-draining soil, keep the pots in a warm, bright spot and water gently. The seedlings appear within a few weeks and grow on steadily. With the sun and the well-drained ground, the fine, airy tree will rise through the years.

Gleditsia triacanthos ‘Sunburst’ / Honey Locust
Honey Lucust are striking trees and this handsome cultivar is no exception with its wonderful golden springtime foliage providing exceptional contrast against darker backgrounds. The leaves are fine and delicate in appearance and turn golden green as the summer progresses before returning to a buttery yellow come autumn.
This honey locust is unarmed (its relatives have thorns just about everywhere but not this one). As the leaves are forming in spring, hazel like male catkins adorn the tree and are proceeded by clusters of small flowers during summer. The canopy itself is light and airy with arching branches casting only light shade and allowing for under planting.
‘Sunburst’ is a versatile tree capable of of growing in a wide range of soil conditions wet (not permanently) and dry. It is also useful as an urban tree as it deals well with air pollution and enjoys reflected heat from surrounding buildings. An excellent selection for any garden but essential if you desire a striking yellow foliage specimen. Full hardy.

Common Name: Honey Locust
Botanical Name: Gleditsia triacanthos ‘Sunburst’
Mature Height: 10-15m
Key Features: Striking yellow foliage; thornless variety; tolerates wet and dry soils; provides a light canopy creating dappled shade beneath.
Supplied: In a 3 litre container of peat-free compost, healthy and well established, approximately 70-100cm (3 feet) high, with full planting and aftercare instructions.