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{{about|the tree|the plants with the same name|Robinia|other uses|Locust (disambiguation)}}
{{Taxobox
| name = Honey locust<br />''Gleditsia triacanthos''
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The honey locust, ''Gleditsia triacanthos'', can reach a height of {{cvt|20|–|30|m |ft}}, with fast growth, and is relatively short-lived, having a life span of about 120 years. The [[leaf|leaves]] are [[pinnate]]ly [[compound leaf|compound]] on older trees but [[bipinnate]]ly compound on vigorous young trees.<ref name=cabi/> The leaflets are {{cvt|1.5|–|2.5|cm|in|frac=8}} (smaller on bipinnate leaves) and bright green. They turn yellow in the fall ([[autumn]]). Honey locusts leaf out relatively late in spring, but generally slightly earlier than the [[black locust]] (''[[Robinia pseudoacacia]]''). The strongly scented cream-colored [[flower]]s appear in late spring, in clusters emerging from the base of the [[leaf axil]]s.
The [[fruit]] of the honey locust is a flat [[legume]] (pod) that matures in early autumn.<ref name=cabi/> The pods are generally between {{cvt|15|–|20|cm|in|0}}
Honey locusts commonly have [[spine (botany)|thorns]] {{convert|3|–|10|cm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}} long growing out of the branches, some reaching lengths over {{convert|20|cm|in|0|abbr=on}}; these may be single, or branched into several points, and commonly form dense clusters.<ref name=cabi/> The thorns are fairly soft and green when young, harden and turn red as they age, then fade to ash grey and turn brittle when mature. These thorns are thought to have evolved to protect the trees from browsing [[Pleistocene megafauna]] which may also have been involved in seed dispersal, but the size and spacing of them is less useful in defending against smaller extant herbivores such as deer. Thornless forms (''Gleditsia triacanthos'' var. ''inermis'') are occasionally found growing wild and are available as nursery plants.<ref name=cabi/> Hybridization of honey locust with [[Gleditsia aquatica|water locust]] (''G. aquatica'') has been reported.<ref>{{Cite web | author = Sullivan J. | url = http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/gletri/all.html | title = ''Gleditsia triacanthos'' | date = 1994 | accessdate = August 13, 2014 | website = U.S. Forest Service | publisher = U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory}}</ref>
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Its [[cultivar]]s are popular [[ornamental plant]]s, especially in the northern plains of North America where few other trees can survive and prosper. It tolerates urban conditions, compacted soil, road salt, alkaline soil, heat, and drought. The popularity is in part due to the fact that it transplants so easily. The fast growth rate and tolerance of poor site conditions make it valued in areas where shade is wanted quickly, such as new parks or housing developments, and in disturbed and reclaimed environments, such as mine tailings. It is resistant to [[gypsy moth]]s but is defoliated by another pest, the [[mimosa webworm]]. [[Spider mite]]s, [[canker]]s, and [[gall]]s are a problem with some trees. Many cultivated varieties do not have thorns.
===
[[File:Gleditsia triacanthos MHNT.BOT.2006.0.1274.JPG|thumb|''Gleditsia triacanthos'' – [[MHNT]]]]▼
[[File:Unripe honey locust pods.jpg|thumb|right|Unripe honey locust pods]]▼
The species is a major invasive environmental and economic weed in agricultural regions of Australia. The plant forms thickets and destroys the pasture required for livestock to survive. The thickets choke waterways and prevent both domestic and native animals from drinking and also harbour [[vermin]]. The spines cause damage to both people and domestic and native wildlife and puncture vehicle tires.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/biodiversity/invasive/weeds/weeddetails.pl?taxon_id=21077 | title = ''Gleditsia triacanthos'' | author = <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> | website = Weeds in Australia | publisher = Australian Government | access-date = January 23, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.weeds.org.au/cgi-bin/weedident.cgi?tpl=plant.tpl&card=T13 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304113055/http://www.weeds.org.au/cgi-bin/weedident.cgi?tpl=plant.tpl&card=T13 | dead-url = yes | archive-date = 2016-03-04 | title = ''Gleditsia triacanthos'' | author = <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> | date = | website = weeds.org | publisher = | access-date = }}</ref> In much of the Midwest of the United States the honey locust is also considered a weed tree and a pest that establishes itself in farm fields.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Barlow C. | year = 2001 | title = Anachronistic fruits and the ghosts who haunt them | journal = Arnoldia | volume = 61 | issue = 2 | pages = 14–21 | url = http://arnoldia.arboretum.harvard.edu/pdf/articles/2001-61-2-anachronistic-fruits-and-the-ghosts-who-haunt-them.pdf}}</ref> In other regions of the world, ranchers and farmers who employ [[monocropping]] deem honey locust as a nuisance weed; its fast growth allows it to out-compete grasses and other crops.▼
== Uses ==
=== Food ===
The pulp on the inside of the [[legume|pods]] is edible<ref name=Audubon/> (unlike the [[black locust]], which is toxic){{cn|date=July 2019}} and consumed by wildlife and livestock.<ref name=Audubon>{{cite book |last=Little |first=Elbert L. |title=The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Western Region |year=1994 |origyear=1980 |publisher=Knopf |isbn=0394507614 |edition=Chanticleer Press|p=495}}</ref>
Despite its name, the honey locust is not a significant [[honey]] plant.<ref name=cabi/> The name derives from the sweet taste of the [[legume]] pulp, which was used for food and [[traditional medicine]] by [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American people]], and can also be used to make [[tea]].<ref name=cabi/> The long pods, which eventually dry and ripen to brown or maroon, are surrounded in a tough, leathery skin that adheres strongly to the pulp within. The pulp—bright green in unripe pods—is strongly sweet, crisp and succulent in ripe pods. Dark brown tannin-rich beans are found in slots within the pulp.{{Citation needed|date=October 2014}}
=== Timber ===
Honey locusts produce a high quality, durable wood that polishes well, but the tree does not grow in sufficient numbers to support a bulk industry. However, a niche market exists for honey locust furniture. It is also used for posts and rails because of the dense, rot-resistant nature of the wood. In the past, the hard thorns of the younger trees were used as [[nail (engineering)|nails]] and the wood itself was used to fashion [[treenail]]s for shipbuilding.
[[File:2014-10-11 12 49 16 Honey Locust foliage during autumn in Elko, Nevada.JPG|thumb
▲[[File:Gleditsia triacanthos MHNT.BOT.2006.0.1274.JPG|thumb|''Gleditsia triacanthos'' – [[MHNT]]]]
▲The species is a major invasive environmental and economic weed in agricultural regions of Australia. The plant forms thickets and destroys the pasture required for livestock to survive. The thickets choke waterways and prevent both domestic and native animals from drinking and also harbour [[vermin]]. The spines cause damage to both people and domestic and native wildlife and puncture vehicle tires.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/biodiversity/invasive/weeds/weeddetails.pl?taxon_id=21077 | title = ''Gleditsia triacanthos'' | author = <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> | website = Weeds in Australia | publisher = Australian Government | access-date = January 23, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.weeds.org.au/cgi-bin/weedident.cgi?tpl=plant.tpl&card=T13 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304113055/http://www.weeds.org.au/cgi-bin/weedident.cgi?tpl=plant.tpl&card=T13 | dead-url = yes | archive-date = 2016-03-04 | title = ''Gleditsia triacanthos'' | author = <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> | date = | website = weeds.org | publisher = | access-date = }}</ref> In much of the Midwest of the United States the honey locust is also considered a weed tree and a pest that establishes itself in farm fields.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Barlow C. | year = 2001 | title = Anachronistic fruits and the ghosts who haunt them | journal = Arnoldia | volume = 61 | issue = 2 | pages = 14–21 | url = http://arnoldia.arboretum.harvard.edu/pdf/articles/2001-61-2-anachronistic-fruits-and-the-ghosts-who-haunt-them.pdf}}</ref> In other regions of the world, ranchers and farmers who employ [[monocropping]] deem honey locust as a nuisance weed; its fast growth allows it to out-compete grasses and other crops.
▲[[File:2014-10-11 12 49 16 Honey Locust foliage during autumn in Elko, Nevada.JPG|thumb|left|upright|Autumn leaf color]]
== Nitrogen fixation ==
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