Users' questions

Do female honey locust trees have thorns?

Do female honey locust trees have thorns?

The twigs of the honey locust may be either stout or slender and they can prominantly zig-zag. The twigs and branches have numerous lenticels and they often feature branched thorns. Older twigs and branches can be found with single or three-branched or more thorns that can be between one and four inches long.

Which locust tree has thorns?

Unlike the black locust, the honey locust tree trunk has thorny branches growing around it. The sharp barbs usually grow to 4” (10 cm) long, but they can be up to 8” (20 cm). The spiky trunk is one reason why the tree is also called the “thorny” locust.

Do male locust trees have pods?

Clusters of male ones, called catkins, are the most obvious. They hang about 2 inches or more long and are yellow-green in color. These give way in late July to bean-like, flat pods that hang 12 inches or more from the tree. These purplish-brown pods persist until mid-January when they finally drop.

Are there male and female locust trees?

The seeds pods are used as fodder for livestock. Like black locust, different parts of the honey locust tree are also used for medicinal purposes. These are some of the interesting facts about locust trees. A basic understanding about their characteristic features may prove helpful for locust tree identification.

Why do some locust trees have thorns?

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.

How can you tell the difference between a black locust and a honey locust?

One can also tell the two trees apart by just looking at the bark. The black locust’s bark is dark in colour with grooves that resemble an intertwining rope. The honey locust’s bark is brown or grey in colour and the tree has  bunches of thorns. Both the black and honey locust have smooth, thin, shiny seedpods.

How do you tell the difference between a black locust and a honey locust tree?

Bark and Thorns: The black locust tree has bark of a dark color with a pattern of furrows that look like rope that’s intertwined. Honey locust trees, on the other hand, can have brown or gray bark, and you’ll see clusters of red-brown thorns among the branches or single thorns lining each stem.

Do locust tree have thorns?

Members of the pea family, locust trees produce large clusters of pea-like flowers that bloom in spring, followed by long pods. Except for a few thornless honey locust varieties, locust trees have fierce thorns that grow in pairs along the trunk and lower branches.

Does a black locust tree have thorns?

Detail of a black locust thorn. Beware: some of the black locust’s branches feature sharp thorns! A remarkable feature of the black locust is its ability to grow new branches by sprouting new roots and shoots. The tree grows with a single leader and thorns can be found on the trunk or branches.

Why do black locust trees have thorns?

Why do locust trees have spikes?