Trees of Alabama and the Southeast Home Page

Leaves are pinnately or bipinnately compound, alternate, and deciduous with 9-20 leaflet pairs.  Leaflets are one inch long and hairy underneath. Twigs are stout and zigzag with large sometimes branched thorns.  Bark is gray-brown and smooth becoming scaly and rough with thorns. Flowers are green-yellow. Fruit is a brown twisted legume, 8-24 inches long with sweet edible pulp between the seeds.  Honeylocust is found on a variety of sites in open areas in the east and central U.S. and is intolerant of shade.  The pods are eaten by deer and cattle.  The wood is hard and used for fence posts and specialty items.  A thornless variety is used in landscaping. Some group this species in Fabaceae.

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All text and photographs are intended for educational purposes only and are not for commercial use in any form.  All photographs are copyrighted by the named photographer(s), text copyright by Lisa Samuelson. © 2005, all rights reserved. Photographs by Mike Hogan.