HONEY LOCUST - (Gleditsia triacanthos) - is also called Thorny Locust, Common Honey Locust, Sweet Locust. The sapwood is generally wide and yellowish in contrast to the reddish-brown heartwood, providing an attractive grain. The wood is dense, very heavy, very hard, strong in bending, stiff, resistant to shock, and is durable when in contact with soil.
The wood of honey locust possesses many desirable qualities but is little used due to its relative scarcity. There are few commercial growers or loggers, although there are honey locust plantations in eastern Nebraska.
The adult tree has a rounded crown, and commonly measures attains a height of 40-70 feet, however in exceptional circumstances honey locust can attain a height of 150 feet. The flowers are small and fragrant, with five pale purple or lilac petals, growing in clusters. The fruit is a drupe, marble-sized, light yellow at maturity, hanging on the tree all winter, and gradually becoming wrinkled and almost white.
The wood of honey locust possesses many desirable qualities but is little used due to its relative scarcity. There are few commercial growers or loggers, although there are honey locust plantations in eastern Nebraska.
The adult tree has a rounded crown, and commonly measures attains a height of 40-70 feet, however in exceptional circumstances honey locust can attain a height of 150 feet. The flowers are small and fragrant, with five pale purple or lilac petals, growing in clusters. The fruit is a drupe, marble-sized, light yellow at maturity, hanging on the tree all winter, and gradually becoming wrinkled and almost white.