Name: Gleditsia triacanthos	Description: Family:  Growth Form: Large tree with open crown and clumps of brown spines on trunk. Stems: Leaves: Shiny dark green above, paler and smooth below; pinnately compound, 4-8 inches long; with many wavy-edged leaflets; turning yellow in fall. Flower Arrangement:  Flowers:  Yellow-green, 3/8-inch long, bell-shaped, hairy, male and female flowers often on different trees; appearing in clusters in late spring. Petals: 5 Stamens:  . Pistil:  Fruits: Flat, dark brown pod, 6-16 inches long and 1 1/4 inches wide, containing many beanlike seeds.	Discussion: This species is easy to identify because the trunk is covered with large clumps of stout, branched spines. The Honeylocust is a popular shade tree. It produces long brown pods that are relished by animals. Today there are only 11 species of Gleditsia, relicts of a genus that flourished 70 million years ago.
Image:	Location: Habitat: Floodplains and areas with moist soils in mixed forests; sometimes in drier areas upland. Range: South Dakota to Pennsylvania, south through most of Mississippi Valley and in Appalachians.	Waypoint:  N 38 degrees 34.755 minutes W 89 degrees 04.146 minutes Elevation 475 feet

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Photos courtesy: Odin Tech Prep Team 2004
Project courtesy: Grant Arnold, Deniz Hawley, Kristen Minor, Brian Deadmond

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