Honeylocust

A fast-growing, attractive tree with high value to wildlife and high tolerance for a number of extreme conditions, this species is very popular in parks, urban areas, and in windbreaks. Flowers are inconspicuous green-white tassels (May-Jun) favored by honeybees, and turn to huge, twisting pea-like seedpods which persist on the tree and drop throughout the fall and winter. The pulp of these seedpods is sweet, giving this tree most of its common names, and are subsequently an important source of wildlife food for an enormous number of species. Leaves are fern-like or feathery, giving this tree a graceful appearance, and turn yellow in the fall, making for excellent fall color. The canopy is also not so dense that it creates intense shade underneath, which is one of the reasons this species is so popular in parks; it's quite easy to maintain grass or gardens underneath it. The trunk and branches all have very long, straight thorns, which can be broken off and used as pins (historically, this was done quite regularly!), and although there are thornless cultivars and varieties, the ones we carry are wild-type and have thorns. Tolerates drought, salt, pollution, high heat, very low temperatures, and high pH soil, but can be susceptible to disease and borers. Although it's in the pea family, this species doesn't fix nitrogen, but it does act as a host plant for both the Painted Lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui) and the Silver Spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus). This tree can spread easily, and has often been used in hedgerows and windbreaks for that reason.

60-80 foot tall
Plant Hardiness Zones: 4a-10a
Tree

Native Range: PA south to FL, west to TX, and north to ND. Native to Canada in ON, QC

Honeylocust - 6-12 inch tall in a quart pot $16.25

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